VOLUNTEER 

liiliiiii 


\ 


A  VOLUNTEER   WITH  PIKE 

The  True  Narrative  of  One  Dr.  John  Robinson 
and  of  His  Love  for  the  Fair  Senorita  Vattois 


BY   MR.   BENNET 

INTO  THE  PRIMITIVE 

A  daring  story  of  shipwreck  and  "  the  sur 
vival  of  the  fittest."  Illustrated  in  color 
by  Allen  T.  True.  Third  Edition.  Large 
12mo.  $1.50. 

FOR  THE  WHITE  CHRIST 

A  Story  of  the  Days  of  Charlemagne.  With 
illustrations  in  full  color  and  other  decora 
tions  by  the  Kinneys.  Twentieth  Thousand. 
Large  8vo.  $1.50. 


A.  C.   McCLURG  &  Co.,  CHICAGO 


u'We  go  in  now,  senorita,'  I  said,  offering  her  my  arm" 

(Page  38) 


A  VOLUNTEER  WITH  PIKE 

The  True  Narrative  of  One  Dr.  John 

Robinson  and  of  His  Love  for 

the  Fair  Senorita  Vallois 


BY 
ROBEKT   AMES   BENNET 

AUTHOR   OF   "  TOR   THE   WHITE  CHRIST,"    "  INTO   THE   PRIMITIVE,"   ETC. 

With  four  Illustrations  in  color  by 
CHARLOTTE  WEBER-DITZLER 


CHICAGO 

A.   C.   McCLURG   &   CO. 
1909 


COPYRIGHT 

BY  A.  C.  MCCLURG  &  Co. 
1909 

Published  October  2,  1909 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London 
All  rights  reserved 


THE  UNIVERSITY   PRESS,   CAMBRIDGE,    U.  S.  A. 


uol 


TO  ONE 
WHO  FOLLOWED  AFTER  PIKE  TO 

THE  GRAND  PEAK 
HALF  A  CENTURY  LATER 

MY  FATHER 


M632506 


Contents 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    THE  ROSE  IN  THE  MIRE 11 

II.    PLAIN  THOMAS  JEFFERSON 17 

III.  AT  THE  PRESIDENT'S  HOUSE 26 

IV.  SENORITA  ALISANDA 34 

V.    GULF  AND  BARRIER 47 

VI.   THE  WEB  OF  THE  PLOTTER 68 

VII.  SHIP  AND  CREW 83 

VIII.  THE  HOSPITABLE  BLENNERHASSETTS  .  .  .  .  100 

IX.  MY  INDIAN  TALE 116 

X.  THE  FATHER  OF  WATERS 128 

XI.  GENERAL  WILKINSON 139 

XII.  Au  REVOIR 148 

XIII.  AGAINST  THE  CURRENT 162 

XIV.  THE  LURE 176 

XV.   THE  PAWNEE  PERIL 186 

XVI.   THE  BARRIER  OF  ROCK 196 

XVII.   THE  GRAND  PEAK 206 

XVIII.    FAMINE  AND  FROST 217 

XIX.    BEYOND  THE  BARRIER 234 

XX.    A  MESSAGE  TO  MY  LADY 250 


viii  Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXI.    Ho  FOR  CHIHUAHUA  I 262 

XXII.    GLIMPSES  OF  FATE 281 

XXIIL   THE  HOUSE  OF  VALLOIS 297 

XXIV.    THE  SERENADE 317 

XXV.    A  VICTORY 331 

XXVI.    A  DEFEAT 349 

XXVII.    HEART  TO  HEART 361 

XXVIII.    A  SPANISH  BALL    .     ;   " 372 

XXIX.   THE  INSULT 378 

XXX.   THE  DUEL 388 

XXXI.   MY  CROSS 399 

XXXII.   THE  MESSAGE 407 

XXXIII.  IMPRESSED 414 

XXXIV.  SHAME 427 

XXXV.   UNDER  THE  LASH 439 

XXXVI.   ACROSS  THE  GULF 443 


Illustrations 


PAGE 
" '  We  go  in  now,  senorita,1  I  said,  offering  her  my  arm  " 

(Page  38) Frontispiece 

"  We   swung   out   into   the   current  and  drifted  swiftly 

away" 117 

'"The    Grand   Peak!1  I   shouted.     'We'll  name  it  for 

you1" 214 

"  He  fell  like  a  steer :  my  sword  blade  broke  clean  off,  a 

span  beyond  the  hilt " 392 


A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

The  True  Narrative  of  One  Dr.  John  Robinson 
and  of  His  Love  for  the  Fair  Senorita  Vallois 


CHAPTER   I 

THE   ROSE   IN   THE   MIRE 

THE  first  time  I  was  blessed  with  a  sight  of  the 
senorita  was  on  the  day  of  my  arrival  in  the 
Federal  City,  —  in  fact,  it  was  upon  my  arrival.  An 
inquiry  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  President's  House 
for  my  sole  acquaintance  in  the  city,  Senator  Adair 
of  Kentucky,  had  resulted  in  my  being  directed  to 
Conrad's  boarding  house  on  the  Capitol  Hill. 

In  the  Fall  of  1805  Indian  Summer  had  lingered 
on  through  the  month  of  November.  As  a  con 
sequence,  so  I  had  been  informed,  Pennsylvania 
Avenue  was  in  a  state  of  unprecedented  passable- 
ness  for  the  season.  Yet  as,  weary  and  travel- 
begrimed,  I  urged  my  jaded  nag  along  the  broad 
way  of  yellow  mud  toward  the  majestic  Capitol  on 
its  lofty  hill,  I  observed  more  than  one  coach  and 
chariot  in  trouble  from  the  chuck-holes  of  semi- 
liquid  clay. 

It  was  midway  of  the  avenue  that  I  came  upon 
her  coach,  fast  as  a  grounded  flatboat,  both  of  the 


12  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

forewheels  being  mired  to  the  hub.  The  driver,  a 
blear-eyed  fellow,  sat  tugging  at  the  reins  and  alter 
nately  plying  the  whip  and  swearing  villanously.  I 
have  ever  been  a  lover  of  horseflesh,  and  it  cut  me  to 
see  the  sleek-coated,  spirited  pair  plunge  and  strain 
at  the  harness,  in  their  brave  efforts  to  perform  a 
task  utterly  beyond  them. 

I  drew  rein  alongside.  The  driver  stopped  his 
cursing  to  stare  at  me,  purple-faced. 

"  Are  you  blind  drunk?  "  I  demanded.  "  They  '11 
never  make  it  without  a  lift  to  the  wheels." 

"Lift!"  he  spluttered  —  " lift !  Git  along,  ye 
greasy  cooncap ! " 

He  raised  his  whip  as  if  to  strike  me.  I  reined  my 
horse  within  arm's-length. 

"  Put  down  that  whip,  or  I  '11  put  you  down  under 
the  wheel,"  I  said  cheerfully.  He  looked  me  in  the 
eye  for  a  moment;  then  he  dropped  his  gaze,  and 
thrust  the  whipstock  into  its  socket.  "  Good!  You 
are  well  advised.  Now  keep  your  mouth  shut,  and 
get  off  your  coat." 

Again  I  smiled,  and  again  he  obeyed.  We  West 
ern  men  have  a  reputation  on  the  seaboard.  It  may 
have  been  this,  or  it  may  have  been  the  fact  that  my 
buckskin  shirt  draped  a  pair  of  lean  shoulders  quite 
a  bit  broader  than  the  average.  At  the  least,  the 
fellow  kept  his  mouth  closed  and  started  to  strip  off 
his  coat. 

I  rode  over  to  the  nearest  fence  and  borrowed  two 
of  the  top  rails.  Returning,  I  found  the  fellow  in 


The  Rose  in  the  Mire  13 

his  shirt-sleeves.  Yet  he  seemed  not  over-willing  to 
jump  down  into  the  mud.  One  more  smile  fetched 
him.  He  took  his  rail  and  descended  on  the  far 
side,  muttering,  while  I  swung  off  at  the  head  of  his 
lathered  team  and  stroked  them.  Once  they  had 
been  soothed  and  quieted,  I  dropped  back,  took  the 
reins  in  hand,  and  thrust  my  rail  beneath  the  hub 
of  the  wheel.  I  heard  the  driver  do  the  same  on  his 
side. 

"Ready?"  I  called. 

"  Ready,  sir!  "  he  answered. 

A  voice  came  from  over  my  shoulder  "For 
Dios!  It  is  not  possible,  senor,  to  lift.  First  I  will 
descend." 

The  knowledge  that  I  had  put  my  shoulder  to  the 
wheel  for  a  Spaniard  caused  my  tightening  muscles 
to  relax  in  disgust.  But  the  don  had  spoken  courte 
ously,  his  one  thought  being  to  relieve  us  of  his 
weight,  at  the  risk  of  ruining  his  aristocratic  boots. 

"  Sit  still.  Quien  sdbe?  "  I  replied,  without  look 
ing  about,  and  bore  up  on  the  rail.  "  Heave  away!  " 

The  rails  bowed  under  the  strain,  but  the  clay  held 
tenaciously  to  the  embedded  wheels.  I  drew  the 
reins  well  in  and  called  to  the  willing  team.  They 
put  their  weight  against  the  breast  bands  steadily 
and  gallantly.  The  wheels  rose  a  little,  the  coach 
gave  forward. 

"Heave!"  I  called.  The  wheels  drew  up  and 
forward.  "Steady!  steady,  boys!  Pull  away!" 

Out  came  the  forewheels;    in  went  the  rear,    We 


14  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

caught  them  on  the  turn.  One  last  gallant  tug,  and 
all  was  clear.  The  driver  plodded  around  by  the 
rear,  a  hand  at  his  forelock. 

"  Return  the  rails,"  I  said.     "  I  '11  hold  them." 

He  took  my  rail  with  his  own  and  toiled  over- to  the 
roadside.  I  called  up  my  horse  and  swung  into  the 
saddle,  little  the  worse  for  my  descent  into  the  midst 
of  the  redoubtable  avenue,  for  my  legs  had  already 
been  smeared  and  spattered  to  the  thigh  before  I 
entered  the  bounds  of  the  city. 

Again  I  heard  the  voice  at  the  coach  window: 
"  Muchas  gracias,  senor!  A  thousand  thanks  —  and 
this." 

He  proved  to  be  what  I  had  surmised,  —  a  long- 
faced  Spanish  don.  What  I  had  not  expected  to 
see  was  the  hand  extended  with  the  piece  of  silver. 
There  was  more  than  mere  politeness  in  his  smile. 
It  was  evident  he  meant  well.  None  the  less,  I  was 
of  the  West,  where,  in  common  opinion,  Spaniards 
are  rated  with  the  "  varmints."  I  took  the  coin 
and  dropped  it  into  the  mire.  He  stared  at  me, 
astonished. 

"  Your  pardon,  senor,"  I  said.  "  I  am  not  a 
Spanish  gentleman." 

The  shot  hit,  as  I  could  see  by  the  quick  change 
in  the  nature  of  his  smile. 

"It  is  I  who  should  ask  pardon,"  he  replied  with 
the  haughtiness  of  your  true  Spanish  hidalgo.  '  Yet 
the  senor  will  admit  that  his  appearance  —  to  a 
foreigner  —  " 


The  Rose  in  the  Mire  15 

"Few  riders  wear  frills  on  the  long  road  from 
Pittsburg,"  I  replied. 

He  bowed  grandly  and  withdrew  his  head  into  the 
coach's  dark  interior.  I  was  about  to  turn  around, 
when  I  heard  a  liquid  murmuring  of  Spanish  in  a 
lady's  voice,  followed  by  a  protest  from  the  don: 
"  Nada,  Alisanda!  There  is  no  need.  He  is  but  an 
Anglo-American. ' ' 

The  voice  riveted  my  gaze  to  the  coach  window 
in  eager  anticipation.  Nor  was  I  disappointed.  In 
a  moment  the  cherrywood  of  the  opening  framed  a 
face  which  caused  me  to  snatch  the  coonskin  cap 
from  my  wigless  yellow  curls. 

After  four  years  of  social  life  among  the  Spanish 
and  French  of  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans,  I  had 
thought  myself  well  versed  in  all  the  possibilities  of 
Latin  beauty.  The  Senorita  Alisanda  was  to  all  those 
Creole  belles  as  a  queen  to  kitchen  maids.  Eyes  of 
velvety  black,  full  of  pride  and  fire  and  languor; 
silky  hair,  not  of  the  hard,  glossy  hue  of  the  raven's 
wing,  but  soft  and  warming  to  chestnut  where  the 
sun  shone  through  a  straying  lock;  face  oval  and 
of  that  clear,  warm  pallor  unknown  to  women  of 
Northern  blood;  a  straight  nose  with  well-opened, 
sensitive  nostrils;  a  scarlet-lipped  mouth,  whose  kiss 
would  have  thrilled  a  dying  man.  But  he  is  a  fool 
who  seeks  to  set  down  beauty  in  a  catalogue.  It 
was  not  at  her  eyes  or  hair  or  face  that  I  gazed;  it 
was  at  her,  at  the  radiant  spirit  which  shone  out 
through  that  lovely  mask  of  flesh. 


16  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

She  met  my  gaze  with  a  directness  which  showed 
English  training,  as  did  also  the  slightness  of  her 
accent.  Her  manner  was  most  gracious,  without  a 
trace  of  condescension,  yet  with  an  underlying  note 
of  haughtiness,  forgotten  in  the  liquid  melody  of  her 
voice. 

"  Senor,  I  trust  that  you  will  pardon  the  error  of 
my  kinsman,  —  my  uncle,  —  and  that  you  will  ac 
cept  our  thanks  for  the  service." 

"I  am  repaid,  —  a  thousand  times,  —  senorita!" 
I  stammered,  the  while  my  dazzled  eyes  drank  in  her 
radiant  beauty. 

She  bowed  composedly  and  withdrew  into  the 
gloom  of  the  coach.  That  was  all.  But  it  left  me 
half  dazed.  Not  until  the  driver  trudged  back  and 
reached  for  the  reins  did  it  come  upon  me  that  I 
was  staring  blankly  in  through  the  empty  window 
at  the  outline  of  the  don's  shoulder.  The  best  I  can 
say  is  that  I  did  not  find  my  mouth  agape. 

A  touch  of  my  heel  and  a  hint  at  the  bit  sent  my 
nag  jogging  on  toward  the  Capitol,  leaving  the 
rescued  coach  to  flounder  along  its  opposite  way  as 
best  it  could,  through  the  avenue  already  famous  for 
its  two  miles  of  length,  its  hundred  yards  of  width, 
and  its  two  feet  of  depth. 

Wearied  as  I  was  by  the  last  of  many  days'  hard 
riding  from  the  Ohio,  I  was  the  lighter  for  carrying 
with  me  a  scarlet-lipped  vision  with  eyes  like  sloes. 


CHAPTER   II 

PLAIN   THOMAS   JEFFERSON 

IT  was  the  third  day  after  my  arrival  in  Washing 
ton.  The  clear  sky,  which  in  the  forenoon  had 
lured  me  down  from  the  Capitol  Hill  along  the 
forest-clad  banks  of  the  little  Tiber,  had  brought  at 
the  noon  hour  a  warmth  of  sunshine  that  made  by 
no  means  ungrateful  the  shade  of  a  giant  tulip 
poplar. 

I  was  lolling  at  my  ease  on  the  bank  of  the  beau 
tiful  stream  when  a  rider  broke  cover  from  a  thicket 
of  azaleas  and  cantered  toward  me  down  along  the 
bank.  The  first  glance  at  his  horse  brought  me  to 
my  feet,  eager-eyed.  It  was  one  of  the  most  mettle 
some  and  shapely  mounts  I  had  ever  had  the  pleas 
ure  to  view. 

The  rider,  attracted  perhaps  by  my  ill-concealed 
admiration,  drew  up  before  me  with  the  easy  control 
of  a  perfect  horseman,  and  touched  his  cocked  hat. 

"  A  pleasant  day,  sir,  for  a  lover  of  wild  Nature," 
he  said. 

His  tone,  though  easy  almost  to  familiarity,  was 
underlaid  with  a  quiet  dignity  and  reserve  that 
brought  my  hand  in  turn  to  my  high,  stiff  beaver 
and  my  eyes  to  his  face. 


18  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  A  day,  sir,  to  tempt  even  a  botanist  to  forget 
his  classifying,"  I  ventured  at  sight  of  the  rooted 
plant  of  goldenrod  in  his  hand. 

He  shook  his  long  gray  locks  with  a  whimsical 
manner.  "  On  the  contrary,  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  the  enjoyment  of  Nature  should  add  zest  to  the 
pursuits  of  Science." 

"  Since  you  put  it  so  aptly,  sir,  I  cannot  but 
agree,"  I  made  answer,  smiling  at  his  shrewdness* 
"  In  truth,"  I  added,  "  this  unusual  opportunity 
of  enjoying  solidago  odor  a  so  late  in  the  season 
loses  nothing  by  the  knowledge  that  the  infusion 
of  those  selfsame  fragrant  leaves  is  of  service 
medicinally." 

He  met  the  careless  glance  accompanying  my 
words  with  deepened  interest  in  his  thoughtful  eyes. 
Having  had  the  greater  part  of  my  attention  thus 
far  fixed  upon  the  noble  horse,  I  had  not  gone  be 
yond  my  first  impression  that  the  man  was  an  over 
seer  from  some  near-by  plantation  on  the  Potomac. 
Now,  roused  to  closer  observation  by  his  gaze,  I  per 
ceived  that  behind  his  homely  features  lay  the  brain 
of  a  man  of  much  thought  and  learning.  With  this 
I  gave  heed  to  the  fact  that  his  clothes,  for  all  their 
carelessness  of  cut  and  condition,  were  of  the  finest 
materials. 

I  swept  him  the  best  of  the  bows  I  had  acquired 
from  the  French  Creoles  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Can  it  be,  sir,  that  chance  has  favored  me  with 
the  acquaintance  of  a  fellow  physician  in  what  Mr. 


Plain  Thomas  Jefferson  19 

Gouverneur  Morris  has  so  aptly  termed  the  spoiled 
wilderness  of  Washington? "  I  asked.  "  If  so,  per 
mit  me  to  introduce  myself  as  a  young  but  aspiring 
practitioner  of  the  healing  art.  My  name,  sir,  is 
one  often  in  the  mouths  of  men,  —  Robinson,  —  Dr. 
John  H.  Robinson." 

Smiling  at  my  attempt  at  wit,  the  gentleman 
swung  to  the  ground  before  me,  and  twitched  the 
reins  over  the  head  of  his  spirited  mount. 

'You  were  walking  toward  the  Capitol?"  he  in 
quired.  I  nodded  assent.  "  Then,  by  your  leave,  I 
will  accompany  you  part  of  the  way,  —  not  that  I 
can  claim  the  honor  of  membership  in  your  most 
useful  profession.  I  am  no  more  than  a  browser  in 
the  lush  fields  of  philosophy.  My  name,  sir,  is 
Thomas  Jefferson." 

For  a  moment  I  stood  like  a  dolt.  My  hand  went 
up  to  jerk  off  my  coonskin  cap,  and  knocked  smartly 
against  the  stiff  brim  of  my  beaver.  The  touch  re 
called  me  to  my  dignity,  and  I  flattered  myself  that 
my  bow  and  words  would  alike  prove  acceptable: 
"  Your  Excellency  will  pardon  me !  Had  I  been 


aware  —  " 


"  You  would  have  known  that  there  are  few  things 
I  hold  in  greater  detestation  than  such  high-flown, 
aristocratic  terms  of  address  and  such  undemocratic 
bendings,"  he  cut  in  upon  me,  with  a  touch  of  as 
perity  in  his  quiet  voice. 

"  I  stand  corrected,  sir,"  I  replied,  straightening 
to  my  full  six  feet,  and  seeking  to  cover  my  confu- 


20  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

sion  with  a  smile.  "It  is  not  necessarily  proof  of 
sycophancy  that  one  has  acquired  his  manners  in 
New  Orleans." 

"  True  —  true,  and  that  is  full  explanation  of  what 
I  must  confess  puzzled  me.  You  are  from  the  far 
West,  if  I  do  not  mistake,  and  our  frontiersmen,  as 
a  rule,  are  as  deficient  in  courtly  graces  as  the  Euro 
pean  aristocrats  are  sycophantic.  By  your  leave,  we 
will  be  moving." 

We  swung  about  and  sauntered  up  the  stream 
bank,  the  horse  following  at  his  master's  heels,  docile 
as  a  well-trained  hound.  For  a  time  the  attention 
of  my  distinguished  companion  seemed  fixed  upon 
the  romantic  arbors  of  wild  grapes  which  overran  the 
neighboring  thickets.  But  as  I  was  about  to  remark 
on  the  beauty  of  the  autumnal  foliage,  he  turned  to 
me  with  a  direct  question:  "Have  you  close  ac 
quaintance,  sir,  among  the  people  of  St.  Louis  and 
New  Orleans? " 

"  I  have  practised  in  both  towns,  sir,  since  the 
cession  of  Louisiana  Territory." 

"And  you  found  the  former  subjects  of  Spain 
and  France  well  disposed  toward  the  Republic? " 

"  I  regret  to  have  to  say,  sir,  that  Governor  Clai- 
borne  is  not  popular  even  among  our  American  resi 
dents  of  New  Orleans." 

The  President  looked  at  me  doubtfully.  "  Clai- 
borne  is  a  man  of  undisputed  integrity." 

"  The  Creoles,  Your  Excellency,  could  better  ap 
preciate  a  degree  of  tact.  Governor  Claiborne  is  too 


Plain  Thomas  Jefferson  21 

much  the  Western  man  in  his  attitude  toward  people 
of  another  race." 

"  I  cannot  but  trust  that  our  release  of  them  from 
subjection  to  despotism  — "  He  paused  to  study 
my  face  with  a  mild  yet  penetrating  gaze.  We 
walked  on  for  several  paces  before  he  again  spoke. 
"  I  esteem  you  to  be  a  man  of  some  little  discern 
ment,  Dr.  Robinson." 

"You  compliment  me,  sir.  Having  gone  to  the 
Mississippi  fresh  from  my  medical  studies  in  New 
York,  it  may  be  that  I  observed  some  features  of 
the  Louisiana  situation  unnoted  by  the  local  factions. 
Though  a  Westerner  myself,  I  trust  that  four  years 
in  college  on  the  seaboard  has  enabled  me  to  look 
upon  events  with  a  little  less  of  our  natural  trans- 
Alleghany  prejudice." 

"Ah!  You  are  also  acquainted  in  St.  Louis 
—  with  General  Wilkinson?  Perhaps  you  are 
intimate? " 

"  No !  "  I  said.  Before  my  mental  vision  rose  the 
whiskey-flushed  face  and  portly  figure  of  the  pomp 
ous,  fussy  old  General. 

"  You  speak  emphatically." 

"Sir,  I  give  you  common  opinion  when  I  say  there 
are  few  men  of  standing  in  the  Upper  Territory,  or 
in  the  Lower,  for  that  matter,  who  would  trust  the 
General  out  of  sight  either  with  their  reputations  or 
with  their  purses." 

My  companion  frowned  as  severely  as  it  seemed 
his  philosophic  temperament  would  permit.  "  You 


22  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

forget,  sir,  that  you  are  speaking  of  the  Commander- 
in- Chief  of  the  Army  of  the  Republic." 

"  A  commander  whose  appointment,  it  is  said,  was 
urged  on  the  grounds  that  it  would  keep  him  out 
of  mischief,  —  a  man  who  is  charged  with  having 
been  implicated  in  all  the  separatist  plots  of  the 
nineties." 

"  And  if  so,  what  then?  With  the  removal  of  the 
misguided  Federalists  from  the  control  of  public 
affairs,  and  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  Territory,  in 
suring  for  our  Western  river  commerce  the  freedom 
of  port  at  New  Orleans,  all  basis  for  the  just  com 
plaints  of  the  West  have  been  removed.  I  trust 
implicitly  in  the  loyalty  of  the  people  of  that  great 
region." 

"  What  of  the  ovations  given  to  Mr.  Aaron  Burr 
during  his  trip  this  past  season? " 

"  Greatly  as  I  deplored,  and  still  deplore,  the  death 
of  Mr.  Hamilton,  it  is  a  fact  that  the  duel  termi 
nated  the  political  career  of  his  slayer,  —  the  man 
whom  we  alike  distrusted." 

"  Yet  Colonel  Burr  was  received  with  enthusiasm 
by  nearly  every  man  of  prominence  west  of  Pitts- 
burg.  I  might  mention  Senator  Adair,  young  Gen 
eral  Jackson  of  the  Tennessee  militia,  General  Wil 
kinson,  and  our  richest  New  Orleans  merchant,  Mr. 
Daniel  Clark." 

"  Very  true;  and  easily  accounted  for  by  the  reac 
tion  of  sentiment  against  the  Federalist  and  partisan 
animus  which  procured  Colonel  Burr's  disfranchise- 


Plain  Thomas  Jefferson  23 

ment  in  the  State  of  New  York  and  his  indictment 
for  murder  in  New  Jersey.  No;  once  for  all, 
Colonel  Burr  has  been  removed  as  a  disturbing  ele 
ment  in  the  politics  of  the  Republic." 

Having  delivered  this  confident  opinion,  Mr.  Jef 
ferson  stooped  to  pick  up  an  odd  pebble,  and  after 
gazing  at  it  a  moment,  abruptly  changed  the  subject. 
"  The  West  takes  some  little  interest,  I  trust,  in  the 
expedition  which  I  had  some  share  in  planning." 

"  You  refer,  sir,  to  the  Northwest  Expedition 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Lewis  and  the  brother 
of  Clark  of  Vincennes  fame." 

"  The  furtherance  of  unremunerative  scientific  re 
search  is  one  of  the  few  functions  properly  within 
the  scope  of  an  ideal  government.  I  am  hopeful  of 
valuable  results  from  this  expedition  as  regards  the 
advancement  alike  of  geography,  botany,  zoology, 
and  mineralogy." 

"  I  trust,  sir,  that  you  will  be  equally  gratified  by 
the  results  of  the  exploration  of  the  Mississippi  by 
my  friend  Lieutenant  Pike." 

"Pike?  — Pike?  — Ah,  the  son  of  Major  Zebulon 
Pike  of  the  Revolution.  General  Wilkinson  duly 
informed  the  Secretary  of  War  that  he  had  sent 
young  Pike  up  the  river  with  a  small  party.  But 
it  is  a  purely  military  expedition,  equipped  by  the 
General  on  his  own  initiative;  although  I  may  add 
that  his  action  in  the  matter  has  since  received  the 
approval  of  the  Government." 

"  That  last  statement,  sir,  is  of  no  little  satisfac- 


24  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

tion  to  myself  as  a  friend  of  Lieutenant  Pike.  I 
am  sure  that  he  will  quit  himself  of  his  service  with 
no  small  credit.  Allow  me  to  speak  of  him  as  one 
of  the  Republic's  most  able  and  patriotic  young 
soldiers." 

"So  I  have  been  informed.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  young  man  lacks  the  scientific  attainments  most 
desirable  in  the  leader  of  such  an  expedition." 

My  heart  gave  a  bound  that  sent  the  blood  tin 
gling  to  my  finger-tips. 

"  Mr.  President,"  I  exclaimed,  "  the  Government 
is  doubtless  aware  that  General  Wilkinson  has  in 
view  another  expedition,  —  one  to  proceed  westward 
to  treat  with  the  tribes  of  the  great  plains  and  to 
explore  the  western  boundaries  between  Louisiana 
Territory  and  New  Spain.  I  am,  sir,  only  too  well 
aware  of  my  lack  of  standing  alike  with  the  General 
and  with  the  Government,  yet  I  believe  I  can  say, 
with  all  due  modesty,  that  I  possess  somewhat  the 
scientific  attainments  you  mention  as  desirable  —  " 

I  stopped  short  upon  meeting  the  growing  re 
serve  in  my  companion's  mild  gaze.  He  smiled  not 
unkindly. 

"  I  did  not  state,  Dr.  Robinson,  that  such  attain 
ments  were  the  sole  requisites*  Moreover,  this  ex 
pedition,  if  in  truth  such  a  one  is  contemplated,  rests 
wholly  upon  the  discretion  of  General  Wilkinson, 
and  will  no  doubt  be  of  a  military  character." 

"Yet,  if  I  may  venture,  could  not  Your  Excel 
lency—" 


Plain  Thomas  Jefferson  25 

The  President  stopped  and  regarded  me  with 
severity.  "  I  have  already  remarked,  sir,  that  such 
adulatory  titles  —  " 

"Pardon  me,  Mr.  Jefferson!"  I  cried. 

His  look  did  not  relax.  "  Nor  '  Mister '  Jeffer 
son,  if  you  please,  sir.  I  am  Thomas  Jefferson,  the 
servant  of  the  people  and  a  plain  citizen  of  the  Re 
public,  —  no  more,  no  less." 

Knowing  the  greatness  of  the  man  behind  this 
small  foible,  I  bowed  acquiescence  to  the  statement, 
and  he,  smiling  gravely  in  response,  added  with  cor 
diality:  "As  I  have  intimated,  the  Executive  will 
not  interfere  with  any  proper  plans  which  General 
Wilkinson  may  deem  expedient.  Yet  I  will  say  that, 
in  the  event  he  carries  out  the  contemplated  expedi 
tion  to  our  Western  boundaries,  I  should  be  pleased 
to  hear  of  such  a  well-qualified  assistant  as  yourself 
being  included  in  the  party  as  a  volunteer." 

I  covered  my  disappointment  with  the  best  smile 
I  could  muster:  "In  that  event,  sir,  I  fear  that  I 
must  repress  my  adventurous  longings." 

I  bowed  and  stepped  aside  for  him  to  pass  on. 
He  mounted  with  easy  agility,  but  checked  his  over- 
willing  horse  for  a  parting  remark:  "  Sir,  I  am 
pleased  to  have  met  you.  I  shall  be  more  pleased 
to  meet  you  at  my  table  this  evening." 

Before  I  could  recover  from  my  astonishment  he 
had  touched  his  hat  civilly,  and  was  cantering  away 
across  country. 


CHAPTER   III 

AT  THE  PRESIDENT'S  HOUSE 

IT  will  not  be  thought  strange  that  my  invitation 
to  dine  with  the  President  put  me  in  high  conceit 
with  myself,  and  this  notwithstanding  such  infor 
mation  as  I  had  already  acquired  as  to  the  loose 
ness  and  informality  of  the  White  House  etiquette 
since  the  retirement  of  President  Adams.  Although 
Mr.  Jefferson's  custom  was  to  invite  many  kinds  of 
persons  to  his  elegant  little  dinners,  the  guests  were 
generally  selected  for  their  compatibility. 

On  the  other  hand,  my  elation  was  tempered  by 
the  fact  that  another  result  of  my  chance  meeting 
with  His  Excellency  in  the  woods  had  been  a  sharp 
dashing  of  the  hopes  which  had  brought  me  to 
Washington.  I  refer  to  the  matter  of  General  Wil 
kinson's  contemplated  expedition  to  the  West.  Hav 
ing  reasons  of  my  own  for  not  wishing  to  apply  to 
the  Commander-in-Chief  for  the  leadership  of  the  ex 
pedition,  I  had  come  on  to  the  Federal  City  in  the 
fond  hope  of  receiving  the  appointment  from  the 
Secretary  of  War.  Fate  had  given  me  the  oppor 
tunity  of  making  my  modest  request  direct  to  the 
source  of  all  Federal  patronage,  with  the  results 
which  have  been  stated. 


At  the  President's  House  27 

It  was  therefore  without  undue  elation  that,  dressed 
in  my  small-clothes  and  new  coat,  my  best  shirt- frill, 
and  highest  pudding  cravat,  I  jogged  north  along 
the  redoubtable  avenue  which,  only  three  days  be 
fore,  had  seen  me  ride  south  in  my  buckskins.  My 
horse,  feeling  his  oats  after  his  days  in  stall,  fretted 
at  the  sober  pace  I  set  him.  A  word  or  even  a  touch 
would  have  put  him  into  full  gallop,  for  all  the  depth 
of  the  mire.  Yet,  even  had  I  not  been  in  so  grave 
a  frame  of  mind,  I  had  my  silk  stockings  and  fine 
buckled  shoes  to  consider. 

In  due  time  we  came  to  the  grassy  common  about 
the  Presidential  mansion,  and  entered  the  iron  gate 
in  the  high  rock  wall  built  by  Mr.  Jefferson  to  en 
close  the  noble  building.  On  dismounting,  my  first 
surprise  of  the  evening  was  that  I  should  be  ushered 
in  by  a  white  attendant.  I  had  expected  that  Mr. 
Jefferson  would  be  served  by  slaves  from  his  great 
plantation  at  Monticello.  Later  I  learned  that  he 
preferred  to  hire  his  entire  corps  of  servants,  some 
thirty  or  more,  all  of  whom  were  white. 

Upon  giving  my  name  as  one  of  the  dinner  guests, 
I  was  shown  into  a  pleasant,  spacious  room,  which, 
from  a  remark  dropped  by  the  attendant,  I  under 
stood  to  be  the  President's  cabinet.  My  first  glance 
took  in  a  view  of  walls  lined  with  well-filled  book 
cases,  globes,  charts,  and  maps;  my  second,  a 
brighter  picture  of  window  recesses  filled  with  roses 
and  geraniums,  in  the  midst  of  which  was  embow 
ered  a  cage  with  a  mocking-bird;  my  third  glance 


28  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

followed  down  the  long  table  in  the  centre  of  the 
room  to  where  the  tall,  slender  figure  of  my  illus 
trious  host  was  rising  in  courteous  greeting. 

My  second  surprise  of  the  evening  lay  in  my  recog 
nition  of  the  handsome,  dashing  little  man  who  sat  re 
garding  me,  alert  and  keen-eyed,  from  the  far  corner 
of  the  table.  I  had  seen  that  sanguine,  high-spirited 
face  before,  many  a  weary  mile  west  of  Washington. 

The  President  met  my  advance  with  a  benignant 
smile:  "  You  are  in  very  good  season,  Dr.  Robinson. 
I  am  pleased  that  you  did  not  forget  my  hasty 
invitation." 

"  One  does  not  easily  forget  such  an  honor  from 
Thomas  Jefferson,"  I  responded. 

"  Tut,  tut!  "  he  reproved,  and  turning  to  his  com 
panion,  who  rose  with  graceful  ease  and  quickness, 
said,  "  Colonel  Burr,  I  wish  to  introduce  Dr.  Rob 
inson  —  Dr.  John  H.  Robinson  of  New  Orleans  —  " 

"  Now  of  St.  Louis,"  I  corrected. 

"  Of  St.  Louis." 

Had  I  been  the  President  himself,  Colonel  Burr's 
bow  could  not  have  been  more  considerate  or  his 
smile  more  winning. 

"  If  I  missed  the  pleasure  of  an  introduction  to 
Dr.  Robinson  in  New  Orleans,  it  was  not  due  to 
lack  of  desire  on  my  part,"  he  said.  "  Governor 
Claiborne  and  Mr.  Daniel  Clark  alike  spoke  highly 
of  your  merits,  sir." 

"  That  Colonel  Burr  should  remember  such  chance 
remarks  concerning  an  unknown  young  doctor  is 


At  the  President's  House          29 

indeed  a  compliment,"  I  replied.  "  You  were  pointed 
out  to  me,  sir,  at  the  dinner  given  you  by  Governor 
Claiborne.  An  urgent  professional  call  compelled 
me  to  leave  before  I  could  obtain  an  introduction. 
But  my  misfortune  in  missing  the  honor  of  meeting 
you,  alike  in  New  Orleans  and  upon  your  subsequent 
visit  to  St.  Louis,  will  now,  I  trust,  be  offset  by  the 
pleasure  of  your  company  as  a  fellow  guest." 

"  I  had  in  mind  that  you  would  count  yourself 
among  the  Western  well-wishers  of  Colonel  Burr," 
remarked  Mr.  Jefferson,  eying  me  as  I  thought  with 
a  certain  sharpness.  "  My  idea  for  this  dinner  was 
a  party  whose  members  would  share  a  common  in 
terest  in  Louisiana  affairs." 

As  he  finished  speaking,  the  President  stepped 
past  me  toward  the  door  by  which  I  had  entered. 
Colonel  Burr  promptly  took  his  place,  still  smiling 
suavely,  but  keen-eyed  as  a  hawk. 

"  Sir,"  he  asked,  in  a  low  and  eager  voice,  "  may 
I  indeed  count  you  among  my  Western  friends?" 

It  may  have  been  the  magnetism  of  the  man,  or 
possibly  only  the  suddenness  of  the  question,  but  I 
found  myself  answering  without  thought,  "  We  are 
all  your  well-wishers,  sir." 

He  smiled  and  gave  me  a  significant  glance  which 
I  did  not  half  understand  and  liked  still  less.  The 
words  were  on  my  tongue's  tip  to  correct  his  evi 
dent  misconception  of  my  hasty  answer,  when  he,  in 
turn,  stepped  past  me,  bowing  and  smiling.  I 
turned  about,  and  received  my  third  surprise.  The 


30  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

President  and  Mr.  Burr  were  exchanging  bows  with 
my  Spanish  don  of  the  mired  carriage! 

Great  as  was  my  astonishment,  I  intercepted  and 
unconsciously  made  mental  note  of  the  look  of  un 
derstanding  which  as  I  turned  was  passing  between 
the  don  and  Colonel  Burr. 

The  former  flashed  a  glance  of  inquiry  from  my 
self  to  the  President,  who  met  it  with  his  ungrace 
ful  but  ready  courtesy  —  "  Don  Pedro  Vallois,  Dr. 
John  H.  Robinson." 

"  And  my  good  friend,  senor ! "  added  Mr.  Burr, 
with  a  warmth  of  tone  that  astonished  me. 

Senor  Vallois  responded  to  my  bow  with  one  as 
punctiliously  polite  as  it  was  haughty.  There  was 
no  sign  of  recognition  in  his  cold  eyes.  The  oppor 
tunity  was  too  tempting  to  forgo. 

"  I  trust,  senor,  that  you  were  not  again  stalled, 
and  have  not  been  required  to  inhabit  the  centre  of 
the  avenue  these  past  three  days,"  I  remarked. 

At  this  he  gazed  at  me  with  more  interest.  No 
doubt  my  voice  jogged  his  memory,  for  in  a  mo 
ment  his  eye  kindled,  and  he  grasped  my  hand  with 
the  heartiness  of  an  Englishman. 

"  Por  Dios!    It  is  our  caballero  of  the  mire!  " 

"  The  same,  senor.  It  is  good  fortune  which  brings 
us  together  as  guests  of  His  Excellency  the  Presi 
dent,"  I  replied,  thinking  to  divert  the  conversation. 
It  was  in  vain. 

"How?  — What  is  this,  senor?  You  know  Dr. 
Robinson?  "  questioned  Colonel  Burr,  his  eyes  spark- 


At  the  President's  House          31 

ling  not  altogether  pleasantly,  and  his  lips  tighten 
ing  beneath  their  smile. 

Senor  Vallois  waved  his  hand  for  attention  and 
proceeded,  with  much  detail  and  elaboration,  to  re 
count  my  simple  feat  with  the  fence  rails.  In  the 
midst  entered  the  Honorable  Henry  Dearborn,  the 
Secretary  of  War,  to  whom  I  had  been  introduced 
on  the  day  of  my  arrival  by  Senator  Adair.  His 
curt  nod  of  recognition  forestalled  an  introduction 
by  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  the  senor's  account  proceeded 
to  the  end  without  interruption. 

Mr.  Jefferson  and  Colonel  Burr  were  alike  pleased 
to  give  the  senor  close  attention.  The  former  was 
first  to  make  his  comment,  —  "A  friendly  deed,  and 
one  seldom  met  with  nowadays." 

Colonel  Burr  was  not  content  so  to  spare  my 
modesty. 

"Friendly!"  he  exclaimed,  "friendly!  Gallant 
is  the  word,  sir!  We  read  of  Raleigh  spreading  his 
cloak  for  a  queen.  Here  is  an  American  gentleman 
who  plunges  into  the  mire  to  pry  out  a  lady's  coach, 
an  act  by  far  the  more  gallant!"  He  faced  about 
to  give  me  a  knowing  smile.  "  You  saw  the  lady 
beckoning  from  the  carriage  window,  and,  of  course, 
beauty  in  distress  —  " 

"  Santisima  Virgen!  My  niece  beckon  to  a  stranger 
in  the  highway!"  protested  Senor  Vallois,  in  a  tone 
that  would  have  compelled  a  far  duller  man  than 
Colonel  Burr  to  realize  his  mistake. 

"Your  pardon,   senor!"  he  hastened  to  explain. 


32  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"A  mere  figure  of  speech.     I  infer  that  the  lady 
looked  out,  and  Dr.  Robinson,  chancing  to  see  her  —  " 

"No,  no,  Colonel!"  I  broke  in.  "I  cannot  lay 
claim  to  the  gallantry  with  which  you  would  credit 
me.  It  was  the  needless  lashing  of  the  horses  which 
prompted  me  to  the  action." 

'  The  more  credit  to  your  kindliness,  sir,"  re 
marked  Mr.  Jefferson,  with  a  heartiness  which  added 
to  my  embarrassment.  The  nod  of  assent  and  warm 
glance  of  General  Dearborn  in  part  consoled  me  for 
the  stress  of  the  situation. 

Whether  the  grave  look  of  Senor  Vallois  indicated 
approval  or  disapproval  of  my  disclaimer  of  gal 
lantry  I  could  not  tell.  But  Colonel  Burr  was  open 
in  his  protest. 

"What!  what!"  he  cried.  "Is  this  the  manner 
of  the  coming  generation?  Have  romance  and  gal 
lantry  fled  with  the  peruke? " 

He  looked  from  my  loose,  unpowdered  curls  to  the 
Spaniard's  costly  wig. 

"  Youth  will  have  its  day,"  said  General  Dear 
born,  offering  him  his  snuff-box.  Mr.  Burr  took  a 
pinch  with  the  affected  elegance  of  a  beau.  The 
dose  was  of  such  strength  that  the  sneeze  which 
followed  flapped  the  Colonel's  queue  and  lifted  a 
cloud  of  powder  from  his  hair.  The  President, 
Senor  Vallois,  and  myself  having  in  turn  declined 
the  box,  General  Dearborn  complemented  the  Colo 
nel  with  a  sneeze  that  stirred  his  own  thin  queue 
and  powder. 


At  the  President's  House  33 

Mr.  Jefferson  made  some  remark  commending 
the  growing  simplicity  of  fashion  with  regard  to  the 
dressing  of  the  hair.  He  was  interrupted  by  the 
entrance  of  a  small,  stoutish  gentleman  in  black 
broadcloth,  who  bowed  familiarly  to  the  President 
and  General  Dearborn,  and  formally  to  Colonel  Burr. 
I  learned  without  delay  that  the  newcomer  was  no 
less  a  personage  than  the  Secretary  of  State,  for  Mr. 
Jefferson  at  once  presented  to  him  first  the  senor 
and  then  myself. 

The  introduction  brought  me  to  a  full  realization 
of  the  honor  which  had  been  conferred  upon  me. 
That  such  notable  men  as  my  fellow  guests  should 
be  dining  with  the  President  was  a  matter  of  course, 
but  that  I  should  be  present  as  a  member  of  so  dis 
tinguished  a  party  was,  I  flattered  myself,  a  most 
signal  honor  for  an  unknown  young  doctor. 

The  situation  was  in  part  explained  by  the  Presi 
dent,  who,  as  Mr.  Madison  met  my  bow  with  a 
penetrating  glance  of  his  mild  blue  eyes,  remarked, 
in  his  easy,  informal  manner:  "My  secretary  had  a 
fall  while  riding  to  the  hounds,  and  Dr.  Robinson 
has  been  so  good  as  to  take  his  place  with  us  this 
evening.  Dr.  Robinson  is  conversant  with  matters 
pertaining  to  Louisiana  Territory." 

A  servant  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  drawing- 
room,  and  Mr.  Jefferson  moved  forward  beside  Senor 
Vallois,  with  a  word  of  explanation:  "We  will  join 
the  ladies,  gentlemen." 


CHAPTER   IV 

SENORITA   ALISANDA 

MY  wits  would  have  been  those  of  a  dolt  had  I 
not  foreseen  the  possibility  of  the  presence 
of  Senorita  Alisanda  in  the  drawing-room.  The 
chance  of  so  favorable  a  meeting  set  my  nerves  to 
tingling  between  delighted  anticipation  and  dread 
of  disappointment. 

Thanks  to  my  ruddy  coloring  and  a  natural  erect- 
ness  of  bearing,  I  followed  the  others  to  the  door 
with  a  fair  show  of  confidence,  notwithstanding  that 
I  had  to  endure  the  contrast  of  so  polished  a  gentle 
man  as  Mr.  Burr.  As  we  advanced,  he  had  promptly 
placed  himself  at  my  side,  in  the  rear  of  the  others, 
his  yielding  of  precedence  being,  as  I  was  not  too 
dull  to  perceive,  a  most  subtle  attempt  to  flatter  me. 

That  I  was  flattered  was  not  strange,  as  may  be 
testified  to  by  those  who  have  come  in  personal  con 
tact  with  the  man.  Yet  for  all  his  winning  manner 
I  gave  little  heed  to  his  words,  my  thoughts  being 
fixed  on  the  delicious  possibility  of  an  immediate 
meeting  with  my  glorious  lady  of  the  avenue. 

Imagine  the  bitterness  of  my  disappointment,  upon 
entering  the  drawing-room,  to  see  no  one  in  the  re 
motest  degree  resembling  the  sefiorita  among  the 


Senorita  Alisanda  35 

ladies  who  awaited  our  presence.  While  Senor 
Vallois  was  being  introduced  I  had  a  moment  to 
glance  about  the  room,  with  the  disheartening  result 
that  I  nowhere  saw  the  graceful  figure  which  I  had 
hoped  to  discover  screened  by  the  shabby  crimson 
damask  of  the  furniture. 

The  voice  of  Mr.  Jefferson  recalled  me  to  the 
ladies,  and  I  found  myself  making  a  melancholy 
bow  to  Mrs.  Randolph,  his  surviving  daughter.  She 
in  turn  presented  me  to  the  other  ladies,  —  of  whose 
persons  and  appearance,  out  of  the  medley  of  mus 
lins  and  fans,  bright  eyes,  bared  busts,  and  thinly 
veiled  forms,  I  retain  only  the  remembrance  that  one 
was  Mrs.  Dearborn,  another  a  Mrs.  Smith,  daughter 
of  the  renowned  Senator  Bayard  of  Delaware,  and 
a  third  Mrs.  Madison.  Of  the  fourth  lady,  whose 
name  I  did  not  catch,  I  recall  that  she  was  an  elderly 
dame  of  sedate  manners,  but  far  other  than  sedate 
in  her  compliance  with  the  extreme  mode.  Her  gray 
curls  were  all  but  dripping  with  pomade,  and  the 
gore  in  the  left  side  of  her  narrow  skirt  extended 
up  above  mid- thigh.  Her  jewelled  garter  was  the 
handsomest  one  visible,  for  which  reason,  I  presume, 
it  was  more  openly  displayed  than  those  of  the  other 
ladies. 

Mrs.  Madison,  petite  and  charming,  notwithstand 
ing  her  plainness  of  feature  and  the  fact  that  she 
was  nearer  forty  than  thirty,  promptly  rallied  me 
upon  my  look  of  depression.  The  Colonel  and  Mrs. 
Smith  joined  forces  with  "  Dolly,"  as  the  latter  ad- 


36  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

dressed  her,  so  that  I  was  compelled  to  smile,  if 
only  to  save  myself  from  a  general  onslaught. 

"That  is  better!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Madison. 
"  He,  a  doctor !  to  think  of  dining  with  so  gloomy 
a  countenance! " 

"  Above  all,  to  think  of  any  other  than  a  smiling 
face  in  your  presence!"  chimed  in  Mr.  Burr.  "I 
had  not  thought  it  possible  of  one  who  has  proved 
that  he  can  be  gallant  even  to  horses." 

At  this  there  was  a  chorus  of  curious  questions. 
I  turned,  seeking  a  way  of  escape,  and  discovered 
that  I  was  all  but  touching  elbows  with  my  lady  of 
the  mire! 

Presently  I  found  myself  bowing.  Though  still 
half  bewildered,  I  realized  that  I  was  being  intro 
duced  to  her  as  Miss  Vallois,  the  niece  of  Senor 
Vallois. 

Colonel  Burr,  who  had  been  introduced  with  the 
other  gentlemen  while  I  stood  in  my  daze,  now 
sought  to  engage  her  attention.  His  eye  for  femi 
nine  charm  and  beauty  is  as  well  known  as  is  his 
success  with  the  ladies.  With  such  a  rival,  my  utter 
loss  of  composure  doubtless  would  have  resulted 
quickly  in  the  more  serious  loss  of  the  lady's  atten 
tion,  had  she  not  at  the  last  moment  recognized  me 
as  the  buckskin  cdballero. 

With  a  glance  of  frank  pleasure  which  came  near 
to  finishing  me  on  the  spot,  she  signed  gracefully 
to  her  uncle:  "Santa  Maria!  It  is  he  —  the  cabal- 
lero  who  so  kindly  came  to  our  assistance! " 


Senorita  Alisanda  37 

"  I  have  already  expressed  to  the  sefior  the  full 
measure  of  our  gratitude  for  his  service,"  replied 
Don  Pedro,  in  a  tone  which  recalled  the  girl  to  her 
first  manner  of  polite  hauteur. 

"  Permit  me  to  join  my  thanks  to  those  of  my 
kinsman,"  she  said  to  me. 

Nettled  by  the  condescension  of  her  tone  and  bear 
ing,  I  shook  off  my  daze,  and  rejoined  with  more 
wit  than  courtesy,  "  Believe  me,  senorita,  no  thanks 
are  due  me  other  than  from  your  coach  horses." 

Another  chorus  of  questions  demanded  the  ex 
planation,  and  Colonel  Burr  responded  by  telling 
over  Don  Pedro's  account  in  the  form  of  a  wittily 
brilliant  anecdote.  I  listened  unheeding,  for  my  gaze 
was  fixed  upon  Senorita  Alisanda. 

At  my  rude  reply  her  eyes  had  flashed  with  a  look 
before  which  my  own  dropped,  —  though  not  to  the 
floor.  As  she  drew  back  a  step  in  her  displeasure, 
my  gaze  dwelt  adoringly  upon  the  graces  of  her 
lissome  form.  She  was  tall,  yet  not  unduly  slender, 
and  the  queenly  dignity  and  beauty  of  her  pres 
ence  were  enhanced  by  the  flowing  lines  of  her 
dress. 

Of  the  dress  itself  I  can  only  say  that  it  was  of 
scarlet  sarsenet,  covered  in  part  by  an  overdrape  of 
silver  spangles  on  white  crepe,  and,  in  compliance 
with  the  Empire  mode,  cut  low  enough  in  the  waist 
to  expose  her  dazzling  shoulders  and  bosom.  Her 
arms,  rounding  up  from  the  small  hands  and  slender 
wrists  as  if  carved  from  new  ivory,  were  bare  to  the 


38  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

bows  of  black  ribbon  on  her  shoulders.  Close  about 
her  perfect  throat,  in  place  of  the  usual  ruffs,  was 
a  double  string  of  black  pearls.  Notwithstanding  the 
universal  acceptance  of  the  new  fashions,  I  had  great 
pleasure  in  the  fact  that  she  had  not  sacrificed  her 
beautiful  hair  for  a  wig. 

But,  needless  to  say,  I  gave  slight  heed  to  her 
dress.  My  fascinated  eyes  dropped  their  gaze  to 
the  little  arched  foot  which  peeped  from  beneath  the 
raised  front  of  her  dress,  snugly  cased  in  its  diamond- 
buckled  slipper  of  scarlet  satin.  The  foot  drew  back 
out  of  view,  and  I  looked  up  in  time  to  catch  a 
faint  tinge  of  pink  beneath  the  clear  ivory  of  my 
lady's  cheeks.  Her  look  was,  if  possible,  more 
haughty  than  before.  Yet,  emboldened  by  that  faint 
blush  and  the  intoxication  of  her  beauty,  I  met  her 
gaze  with  such  a  glow  in  my  steel-gray  eyes  that 
this  time  it  was  hers  that  lowered. 

A  change  in  the  light  chatter  of  the  company 
forced  me  to  spare  them  a  glance.  Senor  Vallois 
and  Mrs.  Randolph  were  leading  the  way  to  the 
dining-room,  and  the  others  were  pairing  off  to 
follow,  in  a  most  informal  manner.  I  saw  Colonel 
Burr  turning  toward  us,  which  spurred  me  to  instant 
action. 

"  We  go  in  now,  senorita,"  I  said,  offering  her 
my  arm. 

Mr.  Burr  flashed  me  a  whimsical  glance,  between 
disappointment  and  commendation,  and  turned  to 
the  nearest  lady.  At  the  same  time  the  senorita 


Senorita  Alisanda  39 

looked  up.  Seeing  the  others  all  in  couples,  she 
hesitated  only  a  moment  before  accepting  my  arm. 

Of  the  dining-room  I  can  state  no  more  than  that 
it  was  a  very  long  apartment,  that  the  furniture 
was  exceedingly  plain,  and  that  we  sat  at  an  oval 
table,  whose  shape  was  supposed  to  bring  all  pres 
ent  face  to  face. 

Thanks  to  the  close  imitation  of  Parisian  society 
at  New  Orleans,  to  which  I  had  enjoyed  the  entree, 
I  managed  to  conduct  my  unwilling  partner  to  the 
table  with  a  Tiaut  ton  that  brought  an  uplift  in  the 
brows  of  more  than  one  of  my  fellow  guests.  My 
elation  over  this  success  was  short-lived.  Colonel 
Burr  adroitly  placed  himself  on  her  other  hand,  and 
for  a  time  I  saw  no  more  of  her  scarlet  lips  and 
dusky  eyes.  Both  were  given  freely  to  the  Colonel, 
whose  reputation  was  only  too  well  known. 

I  might  have  sought  to  console  myself  with  the 
rareness  of  the  wines  and  the  epicurean  delicacy  of 
the  food.  The  service  was  simple,  yet  refined,  the 
cooking  such  that  I  at  once  recognized  the  art  of 
a  Frenchman.  Yet  even  the  Madeira  failed  to  cheer 
me.  I  could  only  sit  silent  over  my  plate  and  steal 
lackadaisical  glances  at  the  rounded  shoulder  which 
my  partner  so  cruelly  turned  upon  me,  and  at  the 
silky  maze  of  sable  hair  which  crowned  her  shapely 
head. 

Until  now  my  feeling  toward  Colonel  Burr  had 
been  uncertain,  vaguely  doubtful,  yet  by  no  means 
hostile.  It  now  hardened  of  a  sudden  into  deep- 


40  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

seated  aversion.  So  little  has  reason  to  do  with  the 
affairs  of  men  —  and  women! 

To  show  the  depth  of  resentment  into  which  my 
passion  flung  me,  I  need  only  say  that  I  conned  over 
in  my  memory  the  fatal  meeting  between  Mr.  Burr 
and  Mr.  Hamilton,  and  exulted  that  I  might  be 
able  to  avenge  the  great  Federalist  and  myself  at 
the  same  time  by  challenging  the  Colonel  to  a  like 
encounter.  For  all  his  sinister  reputation  as  a  duel 
list,  at  that  moment  I  would  gladly  have  met  him 
with  any  weapons  he  might  choose. 

Either  because  of  my  look,  or,  what  was  the  more 
probable,  because  of  his  well-known  aversion  to  a 
divided  conversation  at  table,  Mr.  Jefferson  broke  in 
upon  the  Colonel's  tete-a-tete  with  so  shrewd  a  ques 
tion  regarding  the  Louisiana  situation  that  Mr.  Burr 
was  required  to  answer  at  some  length. 

This  fresh  turn  of  the  conversation  the  President, 
with  seeming  ingenuousness,  deflected  to  me,  so  that, 
from  being  the  one  silent  member  of  the  party,  I 
found  myself  most  unexpectedly  the  main  speaker 
and  the  centre  of  attention.  By  keeping  well  within 
the  bounds  of  my  certain  information,  I  was  able  to 
hold  my  own  in  the  general  discussion  which  fol 
lowed,  and  to  reply  to  all  questions  with  a  fair  de 
gree  of  fluency,  although  subjected  by  each  of  the 
gentlemen  in  turn  to  a  cross-examination  as  keen 
and  pointed  as  it  was  lightly  uttered. 

"And  your  opinion  of  the  Spanish  boundaries?" 
asked  Mr.  Madison  at  last.  It  was  a  question  which 


Senorita  Alisanda  41 

I  had  expected  from  the  first,  —  the  question  of  all 
questions  among  my  fellow-denizens  of  Louisiana 
Territory. 

"We  have  him  there!"  said  Colonel  Burr,  as  I 
paused  over  my  reply. 

Even  the  ladies  bent  forward  to  catch  my  words, 
and  I  was  not  surprised  to  see  that  Senor  Vallois 
betrayed  still  more  interest  than  the  other  gentle 
men.  For  the  first  time  my  partner  turned  and 
fixed  her  eyes  upon  me.  I  stated  my  opinion  with 
out  further  hesitancy. 

"  As  to  the  West  Florida  boundary,"  I  said, 
"  there  can  be  no  doubt.  Spain  is  in  the  right." 

"Your  proof?"  demanded  Colonel  Burr. 

I  cited  such  clauses  bearing  upon  the  point  in  the 
Spanish  and  French  treaties  as  were  known,  and 
other  facts  which  I  had  heard  mentioned  by  Mr. 
Daniel  Clark. 

"  A  plausible  statement,"  remarked  General  Dear 
born.  "  But  with  regard  to  the  other  Spanish  line  — 
the  Texas  boundary? " 

"  As  to  that,  would  not  the  opinions  of  Senor 
Vallois  and  Colonel  Burr  be  more  authoritative?" 
I  countered.  "  Colonel  Burr  at  least  should  be  well- 
grounded  as  to  the  points  in  controversy,  in  view 
of  his  high  standing  as  a  lawyer  and  the  commonly 
accredited  report  in  the  West  that  he  is  negotiating 
for  permission  to  found  a  colony  within  the  Spanish 
territory." 

"It  is  the  first  I   have  heard  of  the  undertak- 


42  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

ing,"  remarked  the  President,  with  evident  surprise. 
"  You  did  not  mention  it  to  me,  Colonel,  at  our 
meeting  the  other  day." 

"  Had  Your  Excellency  then  considered  it  expe 
dient  to  give  me  the  ministry  for  which  I  asked,  I 
should  have  had  no  need  to  enter  upon  speculative 
projects,"  returned  Mr.  Burr,  exposing  his  humili 
ating  rebuff  by  Mr.  Jefferson  with  a  cynical  frank 
ness  which  it  was  plainly  to  be  seen  disconcerted  not 
only  the  President  but  his  eminent  secretaries  as  well. 
Mr.  Burr  paused  a  moment  to  enjoy  the  confusion 
of  his  great  adversary,  then  continued:  "  The  project 
of  a  colony  is  as  yet  indefinite  in  my  mind.  I  have 
considered  the  possibility  of  retrieving  my  fortunes 
by  the  purchase  of  four  or  five  hundred  thousand 
acres  in  the  midst  of  the  most  fertile  tract  of 
Texas,  —  on  the  Washita  River." 

"Ah,  Texas!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Madison,  turning 
to  Senor  Vallois.  "  Is  it  not  the  question  of  the 
Texas  line  which  most  threatens  to  terminate  our 
fair  relations  with  your  Government?" 

"  Such  is  the  fact,  senora,"  replied  the  don,  with 
marked  reserve. 

Mrs.  Randolph  addressed  my  partner:  "Your 
uncle  takes  you  to  Chihuahua  by  way  of  Texas,  I 
believe  you  said,  Miss  Vallois." 

"  No,  madam.  I  fear  I  was  not  clear  in  my  ex 
planations.  Senor  Vallois  had  intended  to  return 
that  way  before  it  was  decided  that  I  should  accom 
pany  him  from  England." 


Senorita  Alisanda  43 

"  We  go  by  way  of  Vera  Cruz,"  explained  Senor 
Vallois. 

"  So  long  a  voyage!  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Smith.  "  I 
should  have  imagined  the  passage  from  England 
would  have  wearied  you  of  the  water  for  a  lifetime." 

:'  We  came  in  one  of  your  American  packet  ships, 
and  were  only  twenty-seven  days  in  crossing,"  re 
plied  the  senorita. 

"Only  twenty-seven  days  on  the  ocean!"  I  ex 
claimed  —  "  twenty-seven  days !  " 

"It  is  not  an  extraordinarily  quick  passage,  with 
favorable  weather  and  our  American-built  ships," 
remarked  Mr.  Madison. 

"  Believe  me,  sir,  it  was  not  the  shortness  but  the 
length  of  the  voyage  which  compelled  my  exclama 
tion,"  I  explained.  "  Miss  Vallois  will  pardon  me 
if  I  express  my  admiration  of  her  heroism.  I  once 
made  a  trip  from  New  York  to  Boston  by  schooner. 
I  came  back  on  a  horse." 

This  statement  was  met  with  a  gust  of  mirth,  no 
doubt  due  more  to  the  wine  which  had  gone  before 
it  than  to  its  wit.  Yet  it  served  to  throw  the  con 
versation  into  a  lighter  vein,  that  ended  in  a  run 
of  repartee  as  sparkling  as  the  champagne  with 
which  it  was  accompanied.  In  this  contest  of  wit 
and  airy  nothings  I  soon  found  myself  as  far  out 
distanced  as  the  others  were  outstripped  by  Colonel 
Burr. 

Again  my  partner  gave  me  her  shoulder,  and  my 
sole  consolation  for  the  slight  was  that  she  joined 


44  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

but  little  in  the  contest,  and  met  the  Colonel's  gal 
lantry  with  a  reserve  unmistakably  evident  in  the 
poise  of  her  head  and  the  coldness  of  her  perfect 
profile.  She  could  be  haughty  with  others  no  less 
than  with  myself. 

Although  she  did  not  favor  me  with  a  single 
glance,  the  half -averted  view  of  her  adorably  curved 
cheek  and  an  occasional  glimpse  of  her  profile  were 
far  preferable  to  nothing.  All  too  early,  Mrs.  Ran 
dolph  gave  the  signal  for  the  ladies  to  withdraw. 

In  rising,  whether  by  accident  or  design,  the  seno- 
rita  turned  toward  me.  Her  eyes  were  nearer  on 
a  level  with  my  own  than  those  of  any  other  young 
lady  I  had  ever  faced,  and  the  erectness  of  her  car 
riage,  so  different  from  the  drooping  French  pose, 
added  to  the  effect  of  proud  height.  She  met  me 
with  a  full  open  gaze,  as  devoid  of  allurement  as  it 
was  of  repellence  and  hauteur.  I  seemed  to  be 
looking  down  into  the  depths  of  fathomless  wells, 
within  which  was  nothing  but  velvety  darkness. 

It  was  but  a  moment,  and  she  had  turned  away 
with  the  others,  leaving  me  mystified.  Nor  could 
I  puzzle  out  the  meaning  of  the  look  during  the  two 
hours  I  sat  with  the  other  gentlemen,  matching  them 
glass  after  glass,  and  with  them  growing  steadily 
more  mirthful  over  the  witticisms  of  Colonel  Burr, 
which  were  more  notable  for  point  than  for  decorum. 

The  fine  and  costly  wines  of  our  illustrious  host 
stirred  me  to  this  false  mirth,  behind  which,  as  be 
hind  a  mask,  I  found  my  inner  self  constantly  re- 


Senorita  Alisanda  45 

verting  to  the  thought  of  my  lady's  strange  glance. 
But  try  as  I  might,  I  could  not  so  much  as  guess 
at  its  meaning.  As  I  have  said,  it  had  held  nothing 
either  of  attraction  or  of  repulsion;  it  had  not  ex 
pressed  even  the  barest  curiosity  —  only  that  fathom 
less  depth  of  mystery. 

All  the  more  was  I  eager  for  the  signal  to  rejoin 
the  ladies  in  the  drawing-room.  Another  look,  I 
thought,  would  give  me  the  key  to  the  puzzle,  a 
trace  to  point  me  along  the  way  of  her  meaning. 

At  last  Mr.  Jefferson  saw  fit  to  lead  us  in  to  the 
ladies,  a  servant  following  with  the  coffee.  I  pressed 
in  close  after  Senor  Vallois,  and,  like  him,  looked 
about  in  vain  for  his  niece.  Mrs.  Randolph  hastened 
to  explain  to  him  that  Miss  Vallois  had  only  just 
withdrawn,  on  the  plea  of  a  slight  indisposition.  The 
sefior  immediately  excused  himself,  saluting  us  all 
with  punctilious  bows  and  a  sonorous  "  Adios! "  and 
withdrew. 

After  his  departure  the  ladies  were  pleased  to 
bestow  on  me  some  little  attention,  and  in  their 
seemingly  artless  manner  drew  from  me  much  re 
garding  my  family,  my  education,  and  my  fortune, 
—  or,  as  I  should  say,  my  ambitions;  for  my  for 
tune  as  yet  lay  mostly  in  the  future.  Presently,  to 
my  surprise,  I  found  myself  invited  to  call  at  as 
many  homes  as  there  were  ladies  present.  This  was 
an  honor  entirely  unexpected  by  me,  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  I  could  claim  neither  political  prestige  nor 
distinguished  birth.  The  disregard  for  the  latter 


46  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

may  have  been  due  to  Mr.  Jefferson's  well-known 
Jacobin  principles,  the  reflection  of  which  is  clearly 
perceptible  in  the  attitude  of  the  greater  number  of 
his  intimates. 

The  gentlemen  were  almost  equally  cordial  when 
the  time  came  for  me  to  withdraw,  General  Dearborn 
alone  maintaining  a  certain  reserve,  due,  as  I  sur 
mised,  to  anticipations  of  a  formal  application  for 
Government  favors. 

At  the  last  moment  Colonel  Burr  remarked  that 
he  intended  to  stop  over  another  day  before  going 
on  to  Philadelphia,  and  gave  me  his  address,  fol 
lowed  by  a  cordial  invitation  to  call.  I  replied  with 
an  expression  of  thanks  for  the  honor  and  with 
drew  before  he  could  pin  me  down  to  an  outright 
acceptance. 


CHAPTER   V 

GULF   AND   BARRIER 

rTHHERE  may  be  more  disagreeable  tasks  than 
•*•  waiting  on  the  uncertain  favor  of  public  offi 
cials.  If  so,  I  have  never  chanced  upon  them. 
Backed  by  letters  of  introduction  from  prominent 
men  in  New  Orleans  and  St.  Louis  and  by  my 
father's  old-time  friend  Senator  Adair  of  Kentucky, 
I  had  thought  to  obtain  the  coveted  leadership  of 
the  westward  expedition  for  the  asking. 

To  my  surprise,  even  the  letter  of  so  great  a  mer 
chant  as  Daniel  Clark  met  with  scant  consideration 
from  the  Eastern  office-holders,  and  Senator  Adair 
soon  confessed  to  his  lack  of  influence  with  the  Gov 
ernment  with  regard  to  my  interest.  At  the  same 
time  he  intimated  to  me  that  should  I  be  able  to 
gain  the  good  word  of  Colonel  Burr,  it  was  not 
unlikely  I  might  receive  my  appointment  direct  from 
General  Wilkinson. 

"  But,  sir,"  I  protested,  "  what  has  Colonel  Burr 
to  do  with  a  military  expedition  planned  by  the 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army? " 

The  Senator  gave  me  a  sharp  glance,  and  consid 
ered  for  some  moments  before  replying :  '  Young 
man,  one  of  the  greatest  aids  to  success  in  life  is  the 


48  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

ability  to  recognize  helpful  friends.  I  have  received 
a  letter  from  Colonel  Burr  in  the  last  Philadelphia 
post.  You  met  him  at  the  President's  House,  and 
I  gather  from  his  remarks  regarding  the  occasion 
that  he  was  greatly  taken  with  yourself." 

"  Unfortunately  the  favorable  impression  was  not 
mutual,"  I  said. 

"  It  is  indeed  unfortunate  —  for  you,  John,"  re 
proved  the  Senator.  "  Such  men  as  Colonel  Burr 
can  pick  and  choose  from  thousands." 

"  I  am  willing  to  be  passed  over." 

:<  Tut!  a  boyish  whim!  Do  not  say  no  to  me. 
You  will  cultivate  the  friendship  of  the  Colonel."  I 
made  an  impatient  gesture.  "  At  the  least,  you  will 
not  rebuff  him." 

"  Sir,  I  have  not  sought  his  advances.  But  since 
it  is  you  who  ask,  I  will  not  take  positive  stand 
against  him." 

"  That  is  better.  It  might  be  more  —  yet  enough 
for  the  time.  Let  me  tell  you,  John,  Colonel  Burr 
is  still  a  man  of  mark  in  this  Republic,  and  I  shall 
be  vastly  surprised  if  he  does  not  add  laurels  to  those 
he  has  already  gathered." 

"  It  is  I  who  am  surprised,"  I  replied.  "  A  once 
successful  politician,  now  discredited  from  Maine  to 
Virginia,  —  a  man  who  seven  years  ago  tied  with 
Mr.  Jefferson  in  the  vote  for  the  Presidency,  and 
last  election  was  all  but  unanimously  rejected,  alike 
by  the  people  and  by  the  electoral  college,  —  for 
you  to  speak  of  such  a  man  winning  other  laurels! " 


Gulf  and  Barrier  49 

"  You  forget  the  West." 

"The  West?" 

"  Consider  his  reception  west  of  the  Alleghanies 
this  past  year,  —  his  triumphant  progress  from  Pitts- 
burg  to  New  Orleans  and  return." 

"  The  West  will  elect  no  Presidents  in  many  years 
to  come." 

The  Senator  gave  me  an  odd  look.  "  Perhaps  not 
—  perhaps  not.  These  people  of  the  original  States 
would  not  consider  it  a  possibility  even  of  the  remot 
est  future,"  he  murmured.  Again  he  considered.  At 
last,  "  Has  it  occurred  to  you,  John,  that  this  ex 
pedition  may  have  other  object  than  the  exploration 
of  our  Western  boundaries?" 

"  There  will  be  treaties  to  make  with  the  powerful 
tribes  of  plains  Indians,  —  the  Pawnees  and  perhaps 
the  letans,  or  Comanches,  as  some  call  them." 

"Ah,  yes;  with  the  Pawnees  —  and  others.  Did 
you  never  hear  it  said  that,  could  an  overland  trade 
with  Santa  Fe  be  established,  it  would  be  of  no 
small  profit  to  those  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  the 
concession  from  the  Spanish  authorities?  Santa  Fe 
is  the  nearest  gateway  to  the  mines  of  Mexico,  —  to 
El  Dorado." 

"  I  know  a  certain  Sefior  Liza  of  St.  Louis  who 
would  not  forego  a  chance  to  join  in  such  a  venture," 
I  replied. 

"  True  —  true.  But  he  is  a  Spanish  Creole,  and, 
I  fear,  not  too  well  disposed  toward  us.  My  point 
is,  would  it  be  too  great  an  improbability  that  a  cer- 


50  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

tain  projected  expedition  should  chance  to  come  in 
friendly  touch  with  the  authorities  of  northern  New 
Spain? " 

Having  given  me  food  for  thought  to  last  me 
many  a  day,  the  Senator  dropped  the  subject.  Dur 
ing  all  my  subsequent  months  of  waiting  I  could 
not  induce  him  to  discuss  it  again. 

The  time  of  this  conversation  was  the  third  week 
of  my  stay  in  Washington.  Being  well  supplied 
with  funds  and  on  agreeable  terms  both  socially  and 
professionally  with  Dr.  Frederick  May,  I  had  settled 
down  in  my  comfortable  boarding-house,  prepared, 
if  need  were,  to  besiege  the  Government  throughout 
the  Winter.  Should  I  fail  to  attain  my  desired  end, 
I  had  only  to  return  West  to  find  a  fair  practice 
awaiting  me  either  at  St.  Louis  or  New  Orleans. 
At  the  worst  there  would  be  ample  recompense  for 
my  expenditures  in  the  experience  of  a  Winter  in 
the  Federal  City. 

Even  had  I  been  certain  of  the  rejection  of  the 
formal  application  which,  a  few  days  after  the  dinner 
at  the  White  House,  I  had  placed  on  file  in  the  War 
Office,  I  should  have  prolonged  my  stay  for  some 
time.  Within  the  week  I  had  taken  advantage  of 
the  invitations  to  call  tendered  me  by  the  ladies  of 
the  President's  party.  Within  another  week  I  found 
myself  fairly  launched  in  the  social  swim. 

It  is  not  remarkable  that  a  man  well  under  thirty, 
who  has  spent  many  of  his  years  riding  the  wilder 
ness  traces,  should  plunge  into  social  affairs  with  a 


Gulf  and  Barrier  51 

zest  unknown  to  the  city  dweller.  To  this  zest  there 
was  added  in  my  case  the  keen  desire  to  meet  again 
my  haughty  Senorita  Alisanda.  Yet  devote  myself 
as  I  might  to  attendance  at  balls,  fetes,  dinners, 
routs,  and  calls  innumerable,  it  was  only  to  meet 
with  repeated  disappointments.  Although,  thanks 
to  the  kindness  of  Dr.  May  and  my  lady  patron 
esses,  there  were  few  social  gatherings,  small  or  great, 
to  which  I  was  not  invited,  I  failed  to  gain  another 
meeting  with  the  lady  of  my  heart.  She  was  not 
present  even  at  the  grand  New  Year's  fete  at  the 
White  House,  when  Mr.  Jefferson,  as  was  his  cus 
tom,  received  and  entertained  all  Washington. 

That  I  was  desperately  in  love  with  the  senorita 
I  had  soon  found  myself  compelled  to  admit.  For 
nothing  less  than  the  depth  and  passion  of  my  feel 
ing  could  have  prevented  me  from  laughing  myself 
out  of  it  for  the  sheer  absurdity  of  such  a  thing. 

Reared  among  a  people  whose  daughters  marry 
at  sixteen  and  their  sons  at  nineteen  and  twenty, 
I  had  safely  survived  my  calf-love,  had  even  run 
the  seductive  gantlet  of  the  Creole  belles  of  New  Or 
leans,  —  only  to  fall  victim  in  my  mature  twenties 
to  the  first  glance  of  this  haughty  Spanish  senorita. 
What  could  I  hope  from  one  who  doubtless  regarded 
me  as  our  Western  girls  regard  the  red  Indian?  I 
do  not  mean  with  the  like  horror,  but  with  a  like 
contempt. 

Not  alone  was  she  a  Spanish  Catholic,  to  whom  mar 
riage  with  a  heretic  would  mean  little  less  than  sacri- 


52      .       A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

lege,  —  she  was  the  daughter  of  a  Castilian  family 
whose  name  implied  kinship  with  one  of  the  royal 
houses  of  France.  I  was  a  man  without  a  grand 
father,  and,  what  gave  me  real  concern,  a  citizen  of 
a  Republic  which,  in  return  for  the  carrying  trade 
of  the  world,  was  grovelling  at  the  feet  of  England 
and  France,  submissive  to  their  contemptuous  kicks. 

True,  Spain  also  bowed  beneath  the  iron  hand  of 
Napoleon,  but  it  was  because  of  the  might  of  that 
hand,  and  not,  as  with  us,  because  of  a  willingness 
to  endure  shame  rather  than  part  with  the  commerce 
of  which  our  humiliation  was  the  price.  Far  better 
war  and  death  than  such  barter  of  principles  for 
gold! 

As  I  thought  of  my  abject  countrymen  I  did  not 
wonder  that  my  lady  had  looked  upon  me  with 
hauteur;  and  yet  I  could  not  but  reflect  on  the 
graciousness  of  her  thanks  from  the  carriage  window 
and  that  inscrutable  glance  at  our  last  parting. 
Hope  interpreted  the  glance  to  mean  that  she  was 
heart- free  and  to  be  won  by  him  who  could  stir  her 
heart.  Despair  said  that  she  had  gone  forever  be 
yond  my  reach,  to  the  far  distant  home  of  her  uncle 
in  New  Spain.  One  answer  to  this  last  was  the  wild 
fancy  that,  could  I  but  attain  the  leadership  of  the 
Western  expedition,  I  might  penetrate  the  wilder 
ness  and  seek  her  out  in  the  midst  of  her  people. 

At  the  height  of  my  fantastic  scheming,  gossip  at 
last  enlightened  me  to  the  fact  that  my  lady  was 
yet  in  the  city,  stopping  with  a  humble  family  of 


Gulf  and  Barrier  53 

Catholics,  and  precluded  from  attendance  at  social 
functions  by  the  absence  of  her  uncle  on  a  trip  to 
Philadelphia. 

Rumor  added  that  the  senor  had  gone  to  the  old 
Capitol  in  company  with  Colonel  Burr,  who,  having 
spent  much  time  at  the  British  Legation  with  Mr. 
Merry,  the  English  Minister,  had  hurried  North  to 
confer  with  the  Marquis  de  Casa  Yrujo.  But 
Rumor  and  Colonel  Burr  were  old  bedmates,  and  I 
gave  little  heed  to  the  report  at  the  time. 

My  interest  was  centred  on  the  joyous  news  that  the 
sefiorita  was  still  in  Washington,  not  upon  the  curi 
ous  information  that  her  uncle  and  Colonel  Burr 
were  supposed  to  have  business  with  the  Spanish 
Minister,  who,  though  he  had  severed  diplomatic  re 
lations  with  our  Government  some  months  since,  yet 
lingered  at  Philadelphia. 

Significant  as  should  have  been  this  report  to  one 
with  my  interests  and  information,  I  must  confess 
that  not  even  the  mention  of  Senor  Vallois  drew 
second  thought  from  me.  For  the  time  being  my 
whole  intent  was  to  find  myself  once  more  in  the 
presence  of  the  senorita.  The  question  was  how  and 
where?  She  was  not  to  be  seen  in  society,  and  I 
was  not  quite  so  mad  as  to  thrust  myself  in  upon 
her  at  her  retreat. 

Hope  flamed  up  again  when  all  seemed  darkest. 
As  is  well  known  to  all  people  of  information,  the 
Sunday  assemblage  in  the  Hall  of  Representatives 
at  the  Capitol  is  frequently  varied  by  the  preaching 


54  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

of  distinguished  clergymen  of  various  sects  and  de 
nominations.  Being  rather  given  to  Free  Thought, 
though  not  to  Atheism,  I  had  thus  far  refrained 
from  attending  these  quasi-official  services,  much  as 
I  had  heard  about  them  as  the  social  levees  of  the 
city. 

Chance,  however,  brought  to  Washington  a  noted 
Catholic  bishop,  and  the  announcement  that  he  would 
preach  the  following  Sabbath  in  place  of  the  chap 
lain  stirred  me  with  the  hope  of  a  pleasant  possibil 
ity.  That  Sunday  I  went  early  to  the  assemblage 
hall,  dressed  in  my  best  attire,  my  chin  swathed  high 
enough  by  my  pudding  cravat  to  shame  a  London 
beau,  my  trousers  cut  to  the  most  modish,  baggy 
shape  and  flapping  loosely  about  my  shins. 

Early  as  I  arrived,  I  found  no  small  part  of  the 
crowd  ahead  of  me,  and  I  had  to  thrust  and  elbow 
my  way  here  and  there  among  the  beaux,  across  the 
hall,  before  I  could  satisfy  myself  that  the  senorita 
was  not  present.  Dashed,  but  by  no  means  disheart 
ened,  I  chose  a  post  of  vantage  on  the  elevated  edge 
of  a  niche,  from  which  I  could  watch  the  entrance. 

Already  I  had  had  occasion  to  make  my  bows  to 
the  fashionably  costumed  dames  and  misses  whose 
gay  talk  and  manners  lent  to  the  Hall  more  the  as 
pect  of  a  ball-room  than  that  of  a  house  of  worship 
or  a  legislative  chamber.  As  the  company  thronged 
in  the  gallant  Representatives  yielded  their  seats  to 
the  ladies  and  stood  beside  them  if  acquainted,  or, 
if  the  fair  ones  came  attended,  left  the  aisles  to  the 


Gulf  and  Barrier  55 

escorts  and  withdrew  into  the  lobbies  or  warmed 
themselves  at  the  fireplaces. 

Seeing  the  rapidity  with  which  the  seats  were 
being  filled  by  the  ladies,  it  occurred  to  me  to  pay 
one  of  the  House  attendants  to  bring  me  a  chair. 
By  the  time  the  man  fetched  it  the  aisles  were  so 
crowded  with  extra  seats  and  the  throng  of  stand 
ing  men  that  the  only  available  space  left  for  a  chair 
was  in  the  statueless  niche  behind  me.  Though  the 
width  of  the  Hall  lay  between  it  and  the  platform 
behind  the  Speaker's  chair,  I  could  do  no  better,  and 
the  elevation  of  the  position  would,  as  I  had  found, 
enable  one  to  see,  if  not  hear,  over  the  heads  of  the 
noisy  assembly.  The  nearness  to  the  entrance  was 
in  another  way  a  decided  advantage,  since  it  would 
enable  me  to  address  the  senorita  without  abandon 
ing  my  seat  to  capture  by  the  nearest  beau  of  the 
many  chairless  ladies. 

From  the  moment  the  chair  was  handed  me  I  was 
subjected  to  the  wordless  attack  of  numerous  fair 
ones,  whose  glances  ranged  all  the  way  from  soft 
appeal  to  scornful  reproach.  And  still  the  senorita 
failed  to  appear! 

Mr.  Jefferson,  as  negligently  dressed  as  usual,  had 
come  in  and  taken  his  seat  beside  his  secretary;  and 
the  Marine  Band,  a  resplendent  cluster  of  scarlet 
uniforms  and  polished  brass  instruments  in  the  gal 
lery,  had  played  the  opening  bars  of  "  Hail  Colum 
bia,"  when  a  stir  at  the  entrance  caused  me  to 
redouble  my  despairing  vigil. 


56  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Greatly  to  my  disappointment,  I  saw  only  the 
stately  form  of  the  Catholic  bishop.  Ushered  by  an 
attendant,  the  priest  made  his  way  with  serene  dig 
nity  through  the  laughing,  chattering  crowds  whom 
he  was  to  address. 

My  heart  sank  into  my  boots.  The  service  had 
begun,  the  hall  was  packed  almost  to  suffocation, 
the  bishop  had  arrived,  and  still  the  senorita  failed 
to  appear.  To  have  kept  waiting  longer  the  nearest 
of  the  ladies  who  had  signalled  to  me  for  my  chair 
would  have  been  most  ungracious.  I  turned  to  speak 
to  the  lady's  friend,  hesitated,  and  turned  back  for 
a  last  look  at  the  entrance. 

A  rawboned  Irishwoman  was  thrusting  her  way 
in  through  a  group  of  men,  who  seemed  none  too 
willing  to  give  passage  to  her.  The  plainness  of  her 
dress  was  enough  of  explanation  for  that,  even  had 
not  the  crowd  been  so  close.  As  she  paused  for 
breath,  her  big  face  red  from  exertion  and  the  quick 
anger  of  her  race,  it  flashed  upon  me  what  a  just 
mockery  of  the  beaux'  gallantry  it  would  be  to  give 
the  woman  my  cherished  seat.  No  sooner  had  the 
thought  entered  my  head  than  I  caught  her  eye  and 
beckoned  her  to  the  chair. 

The  woman  stared.  I  nodded  and  repeated  my 
gesture.  Promptly  she  pushed  a  little  to  one  side 
and  turned  half  about.  The  movement  brought  to 
my  view  the  figure  of  another  woman  who  had  fol 
lowed  her  in.  My  heart  sprang  into  my  throat. 
Though  the  face  of  the  second  woman  was  down- 


Gulf  and  Barrier  57 

bent  and  her  dress  all  of  black,  it  was  enough  for 
my  enlightenment  that  the  covering  of  her  graceful 
head  was  a  Spanish  mantilla. 

At  a  word  from  the  Irish  woman  she  looked  up 
and  toward  me,  and  I  thrilled  at  the  level  gaze  of 
her  glorious  eyes.  I  bowed  and  pointed  to  my  chair. 
Without  a  sign  of  recognition  she  turned  to  look 
across  the  hall.  Unmasked  to  the  men  about  her 
by  the  changed  position  of  her  attendant,  they  were 
already  making  room  for  her  beauty  where  the  rude 
strength  of  the  woman  had  met  with  counter  elbow 
ing.  Nine  in  ten  of  those  who  surrounded  her  would 
gladly  have  given  her  their  seats  had  they  been  in 
possession  of  chair  or  bench.  But  mine  was  the 
only  vacant  seat  in  the  hall.  The  Irishwoman, 
who  stood  half  a  span  taller  even  than  the  senorita, 
had  already  perceived  the  fact.  I  saw  her  bend  to 
whisper. 

This  time  the  senorita  met  my  salute  with  a  slight 
bow  of  recognition,  and  advanced  toward  me,  fol 
lowed  closely  by  her  duenna.  Had  there  been  no 
other  ladies  in  the  throng  her  passage  would  have 
been  along  an  open  lane  of  admiring  gallants.  But 
not  until  she  was  within  arm's-length  did  I  dare 
step  down  from  my  post  of  defence  to  meet  her. 
We  alike  had  the  other  ladies  to  face  and  avoid. 
Half  a  dozen  beaux  were  already  before  me  to 
proffer  their  assistance.  I  thrust  aside  the  nearest 
and  offered  my  hand. 

She  placed  her  gloved  fingers  in  my  big  palm  and 


58  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

stepped  up,  without  so  much  as  a  word  or  a  glance. 
For  all  that  I  found  myself  in  an  exultant  glow. 
Had  I  not  had  the  forethought  to  procure  the  chair 
for  her?  and,  what  was  far  more,  had  I  not  exer 
cised  sufficient  courage  to  retain  it  for  her,  despite 
the  other  ladies?  The  big  Irishwoman  gave  me  a 
glance  as  kindly  as  it  was  shrewd,  and  took  up  her 
position  beside  me,  her  coal-scuttle  bonnet  on  a  level 
with  my  curls. 

Having  done  the  senorita  a  service,  it  seemed  to 
me  fitting  that  I  should  wait  for  her  to  speak  be 
fore  pressing  her  with  further  attentions.  Accord 
ingly  I  stood  with  unturned  head,  gazing  across 
toward  the  Speaker's  stand,  and  drinking  in  with 
appreciative  ears  the  sonorous  bars  of  "  Columbia." 

With  the  last  note  of  the  national  anthem  ringing 
in  my  ears  I  became  aware  of  a  far  more  musical 
sound,  —  the  low-pitched  voice  of  the  senorita : 
"  There  is  space  for  one  to  stand  beside  the  chair. 
Dr.  Robinson  has  my  permission  to  step  up  and 
discover  for  me  if  Mrs.  Merry  is  present." 

"  Dr.  Robinson  accepts  the  invitation  of  Senorita 
Vallois  with  pleasure,"  I  replied,  hoping  to  bring 
a  smile  to  the  scarlet  lips.  They  did  not  bend, 
and  I  could  see  nothing  but  hauteur  in  her  pale 
face  and  the  drooping  lashes  of  her  eyes.  I  stepped 
up  into  the  narrow  space  beside  the  chair,  but  it  was 
not  to  stare  about  in  search  of  Mrs.  Merry. 

"  You  do  not  look,"  she  said  with  a  trace  of 
impatience. 


Gulf  and  Barrier  59 

"  There  is  no  need,"  I  replied,  my  gaze  downbent 
upon  her  cheek. 

"No  need?" 

"  The  wife  of  the  British  Minister  is  not  here." 

"  You  have  heard  that  she  is  ill?  " 

"  No,  senorita." 

"  Then  how  should  you  know  that  she  is  not 
here?" 

"  Because  I  have  looked  into  the  face  of  every 
lady  present." 

She  smiled  with  a  touch  of  scorn.  "  I  had  not 
thought  the  American  gentlemen  so  gallant!" 

"  I  looked  into  the  faces  of  all,  senorita,  searching 
for  one." 

To  this  she  made  no  reply;  and  I,  fearing  that  I 
had  gone  too  far,  stood  silent,  under  pretence  of 
listening  to  the  service.  It  was  indeed  a  pretence, 
for  had  I  been  in  sober  earnest  I  could  have  heard 
little  other  than  the  band  above  the  whispering  and 
giggling  all  about  the  room,  the  occasional  loud  talk 
in  the  lobbies,  and  the  open  laughter  and  conversa 
tion  of  the  young  ladies  and  their  lovers  warming 
themselves  at  the  fireplaces.  Throughout  the  service 
these  gay  young  couples  came  and  went  from  their 
seats  whenever  the  ladies  felt  chilled  or  took  the 
whim,  the  freedom  of  their  movements  seemingly 
limited  only  by  the  closeness  of  the  aisles. 

When  the  time  came  for  the  bishop  to  preach  there 
was  a  lull,  owing  to  his  stately  appearance  and  force 
ful  oratory.  The  lull  was  brief.  Once  more  the 


60  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

young  couples  fell  to  whispering  and  tittering.  A 
group  of  Representatives  and  a  Senator  near  us 
began  a  muttered  disputation  about  the  question  of 
naval  appropriations.  The  senorita  bent  forward, 
straining  her  ears  to  catch  the  words  of  the  bishop. 
It  was  hopeless.  In  the  most  favorable  circumstances 
the  Hall  of  Representatives  has  a  bad  name  for  its 
wretched  acoustic  properties. 

In  the  midst,  at  the  stroke  of  noon,  the  attendant 
who  had  brought  my  chair,  came  in  with  a  great  sack 
and,  escorted  by  an  officer  of  the  House,  passed 
across  the  hall  through  the  thick  of  the  throng  to  the 
letter-box  on  the  far  side.  Having  emptied  the  box, 
he  returned  with  his  official  escort  in  the  same  fashion, 
the  bag  on  his  shoulder  bulging  with  letters.  The 
spectacle  did  not  tend  to  lessen  the  lively  spirits  of 
the  assembly. 

For  the  first  time  since  I  had  taken  my  place  be 
side  her  the  senorita  looked  up  at  me.  Her  face  was 
still  cold,  but  in  the  sombre  depths  of  her  eyes  glowed 
a  fire  of  anger. 

"Is  it  so  you  republican  heretics  meet  the  words 
of  a  most  venerable  prelate? "  she  demanded. 

"  From  what  I  hear,  senorita,  preachers  of  other 
churches  receive,  if  anything,  still  less  consideration 
than  this." 

"It  is  a  mockery  of  worship ! " 

"  With  the  thoughtless,  perhaps.  I  see  many  who 
listen.  Another  time  it  would  be  advisable  to  come 
early  and  find  a  seat  nearer  the  speaker." 


Gulf  and  Barrier  61 

"  There  will  be  no  other  time." 

"  Senorita!  "  I  murmured,  "  you  leave?  " 

"  Within  the  week." 

"So  soon!  You  go  by  water.  Would  that  I  were 
a  sailor  in  the  West  Indian  trade  1 " 

She  gave  me  a  curious  glance.  "  Why  in  the  West 
Indian  trade? " 

"  Ships  carry  passengers.  Aboard  even  the 
greatest  of  ships  the  sailors  have  glimpses  of  the 
passengers." 

"  Sometimes  passengers  stay  below,  in  the  cabin," 
she  said  coldly. 

"  That  may  well  be  in  times  of  storm,"  I  replied. 
"  Then  the  sailor  is  above,  striving  to  save  those  who 
are  in  his  care  from  shipwreck.  But  in  the  warm 
waters  of  the  Gulf  the  passengers  show  themselves 
on  deck,  pleased  to  leave  the  narrow  bounds  of  their 
staterooms." 

"  There  are  some  who  would  rather  stifle  in  their 
staterooms  than  be  stared  at  by  the  common  herd." 

"  There  are  others,  born  in  state,  who  would  rather 
stand  beneath  the  open  sky,  side  by  side  with  a 
true  man,  than  share  the  tinsel  display  of  kings,"  I 
persisted. 

"  Rousseau  is  somewhat  out  of  style." 

"  No  less  is  royalty." 

"  The  French  murdered  their  king,  and  God  sent 
them  a  tyrant." 

"  A  tyrant  not  for  France  alone.  All  Europe 
trembles  at  the  word  of  the  Corsican." 


62  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  And  your  country,  the  glorious  free  Republic." 

The  bitter  words  forced  past  my  lips:  "  My  coun 
try  writhes  and  bends  beneath  the  insults  of  the  fight 
ing  bullies,  and  clutches  eagerly  at  the  price  of 
shame,  —  the  carrying  trades  of  the  world." 

She  raised  her  eyes  to  mine,  grave  but  no  longer 
scornful.  "  At  last  I  have  found  an  American!  " 

"  There  are  others  beyond  the  Alleghanies.  We  of 
the  West  are  not  sold  to  the  shipping  trade." 

"  No ;  you  do  not  take  by  commerce.  You  have 
ever  been  given  to  taking  by  force." 

"  We  have  conquered  the  Indian  with  our  rifles, 
and  the  wilderness  with  our  axes." 

"  Yet  you  turned  to  your  East  for  it  to  buy  you 
Louisiana,  through  a  conspiracy  with  that  arch-liar 
the  Corsican! " 

"No  conspiracy,  senorita!  It  is  well  known  that 
Napoleon  bought  Louisiana  from  Spain  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  extending  his  empire  to  the  New  World. 
It  was  the  fear  of  losing  New  Orleans  to  England 
that  induced  him  to  sell  the  Territory  to  us  —  that 
alone." 

"  Yet  he  had  given  his  pledge  to  my  country  not 
to  sell!" 

"  Let  your  people  look  to  it  that  he  does  not  sell 
Spain  itself." 

"Ah,  my  poor  country!  "  she  murmured,  and  her 
head  sank  forward. 

"  I  had  gathered  that  your  uncle  was  among  those 
who  seek  to  free  Mexico  from  Spanish  rule,"  I  said. 


Gulf  and  Barrier  63 

"  Those  whose  misrule  rests  so  heavily  upon  my 
people  in  New  Spain  have  little  more  regard  for  the 
welfare  of  my  people  in  the  mother  country." 

Again  there  was  silence  between  us,  this  time  until 
the  close  of  the  bishop's  sermon.  As  the  prelate  left 
the  stand,  the  Irishwoman  turned  about  with  an 
expectant  look. 

"  Enough  of  this  mockery! "  said  the  senorita. 

I  stepped  down  at  the  word,  and  had  the  pleasure 
of  receiving  her  hand  the  second  time.  She  made  no 
objection  to  my  escorting  her  from  the  hall  and  to 
the  outer  door.  In  the  portico  she  stopped  for  the 
Irishwoman  to  come  up  on  her  other  hand. 

'  You  have  my  thanks,  senor,"  she  said. 

I  was  not  prepared  to  receive  my  dismissal  so  soon. 

"  With  your  kind  permission,  senorita,  I  will  see 
you  to  your  door,"  I  ventured, 'astonished  at  my  own 
audacity. 

Whatever  her  own  feeling,  she  turned  without  so 
much  as  a  lift  of  her  black  eyebrows,  and  signed  the 
woman  to  drop  behind  again.  We  descended  the 
marble  steps  together,  and  passed  down  a  side 
street.  She  walked  as  she  spoke,  flowingly,  her  step 
the  perfect  poetry  of  motion  as  her  voice  was  the 
poetry  of  sound.  Her  mere  presence  at  my  side 
should  have  been  enough  to  content  me.  But  my 
thoughts  returned  to  the  dismal  news  of  her  intended 
departure. 

'  You  go  within  the  week?  "  I  questioned. 

"  Without  regret,"  she  replied. 


64  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

I  passed  over  the  thrust.  "  You  have  been  nowhere. 
It  must  have  been  dull." 

"  Less  so  than  may  be  thought.  I  have  spent  much 
of  my  time  in  the  company  of  Mrs.  Merry." 

"  Lord  have  mercy  upon  us!  "  I  mocked.  "  If  you 
have  been  imbibing  the  opinions  of  the  Lady  of  the 
British  Legation  —  I  " 

"  I  have  heard  some  sharp  truths  regarding  the 
ridiculousness  of  your  republican  regime." 

"  And  could  tell  of  as  many,  from  your  own  obser 
vation,  regarding  the  Court  of  St.  James." 

It  was  a  chance  shot,  but  it  hit  the  mark. 

"  I  had  not  thought  you  so  quick,"  she  said,  with  a 
note  of  sincerity  under  the  mockery. 

"  I  am  not  quick,  senorita,"  I  replied.  "  It  is  no 
more  than  the  reflection  of  your  own  wit." 

"  That  does  not  ring  true." 

"It  is  true  that  you  raise  me  above  my  dull 
self." 

"  Have  I  said  that  I  have  found  you  dull? " 

"  I  have  never  succeeded  in  acquiring  the  modish 
smartness  of  the  gallants  and  the  wits." 

"  That,  senor,  is  beyond  the  power  of  a  man  to 
acquire."  I  looked  for  mockery  in  her  eyes,  and  saw 
only  gravity.  The  scarlet  lips  were  curved  in  scorn, 
but  not  of  myself.  "It  is  only  those  born  as  brain 
less  magpies  who  can  chatter.  You  were  right  when 
you  said  that  I  could  tell  of  truths  from  my  own  ob 
servation.  I  left  England  with  as  little  regret  as  I 
shall  —  " 


Gulf  and  Barrier  65 

"  Do  not  say  it,  senorita!  "  I  protested. 

"You  Americans!  You  have  the  persistence  of 
the  British,  with  no  small  share  of  French  alertness!  " 

"  We  are  a  mixed  people  —  "I  began. 

"Mongrel!"  she  thrust  at  me,  with  a  flash  of 
hauteur. 

"  Not  so  ill  a  name  for  a  race,"  I  replied.  "  His 
tory  tells  of  a  people  called  Iberians.  The  Phoeni 
cians  and  Carthagenians  landed  on  their  shores.  Then 
came  the  Romans ;  later,  the  barbaric  hordes  from  the 
North,  —  Goths,  Vandals,  Suevi;  later  still,  the 
Moors." 

The  last  was  too  much  for  her  restraint.  "  Moors ! 
—  Moors!  Mohammedan  slaves!"  she  exclaimed. 
"  We  drove  them  out  —  man,  woman,  and  child  — 
before  your  land  was  so  much  as  discovered." 

"Yet  not  before  they  had  done  what  little  could 
be  done  toward  civilizing  barbaric  Europe,  and  not 
before  their  blood  had  mingled  —  " 

"  Santisima  Virgen! "  she  cried,  in  a  passion  which 
was  all  the  more  striking  for  the  restraint  that  held 
it  in  leash  —  "I,  a  daughter  of  such  blood!  —  you 
say  it? " 

"  I  do  not  say  it,  senorita,"  I  replied,  with  such 
steadiness  as  I  could  command  under  the  flashing 
anger  of  her  glance. 

"  Then  what?  "  she  demanded. 

"  I  spoke  of  your  race  in  general,  senorita.  There 
are  self-evident  facts.  Even  were  the  fact  which  you 
so  abhor  true  as  to  yourself,  would  your  eyes  be 


66  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

any    the    less    wondrously    glorious?      Your    dusky 
hair  —  " 

She  burst  into  a  rippling  laugh,  more  musical  than 
the  notes  of  any  instrument.  "  Santa  Maria! "  she 
murmured.  '  You  miss  few  opportunities  —  for  an 
Anglo-American! " 

"  A  man  asks  only  for  reasonable  opportunities, 
senorita,  —  a  fair  field  and  no  favors." 
'  The  last  is  easy  to  grant." 

"You  mean—?" 

"  No  favors." 

She  had  me  hard.  I  rallied  as  best  I  could.  "  But 
a  fair  field  — ?  " 

"Can  there  be  such?"  she  countered.  "You  are 
Anglo-American;  I  am  Spanish." 

"  Vallois  has  a  French  sound." 

Her  chin  rose  a  trifle  higher.  "It  is  a  name  that 
crowns  the  most  glorious  pages  in  the  history  of 
France." 

I  thought  of  St.  Bartholomew,  and  smiled  grimly. 
"I,  too,  can  trace  back  to  one  ancestor  of  French 
blood.  He  died  by  command  of  Charles  de  Valois. 
He  was  a  shoemaker  and  a  Huguenot." 

She  looked  at  me  with  a  level  gaze.  "  It  is  evident 
you  are  one  who  does  not  fear  to  face  the  truth.  You 
have  yourself  named  the  barrier  and  the  gulf  between 


us." 


"Barriers  have  been  leaped;    gulfs  spanned." 

"  None  such  as  these!  " 

"  Sefiorita,  we  each  had  four  grandparents,  they 


Gulf  and  Barrier  67 

each  had  four.  That  is  sixteen  in  the  fourth  genera 
tion  back.  How  many  in  ten  generations  ?  Who  can 
say  he  is  of  this  blood  or  that?  " 

"  I  do  not  pretend  to  the  skill  to  refute  specious 
logic,  and  —  here  is  the  gate.  My  thanks  to  you." 

"  Sefiorita!  "  I  protested. 

"  Adios,  senor!  Open  your  eyes  to  the  barrier  and 
the  gulf." 

"  I  see  them,  and,  they  shall  not  stop  me  from  cross 
ing!"  Again  I  encountered  the  inscrutable  glance 
that  opened  to  me  the  darkness  in  the  fathomless 
depths  of  her  eyes.  "  I  swear  it! "  I  vowed. 

Still  gazing  full  at  me,  she  replied:  "  It  may  be 
that  in  the  Spring  we  shall  pass  through  New 
Orleans," 

I  would  have  protested  —  asked  for  a  word  more 
to  add  to  this  meagre  information.  But  she  turned 
in  at  the  gate,  and  the  Irishwoman  was  at  my  elbow. 

'Till  then,  if  not  before,  au  revoir,  senorita!"  I 
called  in  parting. 

She  did  not  glance  about  or  speak. 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE   WEB   OF  THE   PLOTTER 

THREE  days  of  waiting  was  the  utmost  I  could 
force  myself  to  endure.  On  the  afternoon  of 
the  fourth  I  called  at  the  house  on  the  side  street.  The 
door  was  opened  by  the  Irishwoman,  who  met  me 
with  a  broad  grin. 

"  Oi  looked  for  ye  sooner,  sor! "  was  her  greeting. 

"Senorita  Vallois—  ?" 

"  Flown,  sor,  —  more  's  th'  pity!  Ye  're  a  loikely 
lad,  sor,  if  ye  '11  oxcuse  th'  liberty." 

"  Gone?  "  I  muttered.    "  Her  uncle  — ?  " 

"  Came  an'  packed  her  off,  bag  an'  baggage,  two 
days  gone." 

"  Two  days !  —    Where  ?  " 

"  'T  is  yersilf,  sor,  is  to  foind  out  th'  same,"  she 
chuckled. 

I  held  out  a  piece  of  silver.  "  Will  that  jog  your 
memory,  mistress?" 

"Divil  take  ye!"  she  cried,  and  she  struck  the 
quarter  dollar  from  my  hand.  "Am  Oi  a  black 
traitor  to  sell  a  fellay  Christian  to  a  heretic?  " 

After  that  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  turn  on  my 
heel  and  leave  the  virago.  By  one  false  move  I  had 
lost  her  friendship  beyond  recall. 


The  Web  of  the  Plotter  69 

For  weeks  I  sought  to  trace  the  senorita  and  her 
uncle.  All  I  could  discover  was  that  the  don  had 
come  from  Philadelphia  in  his  private  coach,  called 
at  the  British  Legation,  and  carried  away  his  niece 
by  a  route  unknown. 

Left  with  no  more  than  that  doubtful  mention  of 
New  Orleans,  I  plunged  back  into  the  social  swim 
of  the  Federal  City ;  not  to  forget  her,  —  that  I  could 
not  have  done  had  I  wished,  —  but  to  wear  away  the 
months  of  waiting  and  to  perfect  myself  in  the  social 
graces  so  far  as  lay  within  my  capacity. 

At  the  same  time  I  did  not  forget  to  press  my  ap 
plication  with  Secretary  Dearborn  and  other  mem 
bers  of  the  Government,  who,  I  found,  were  all  too 
ready  to  forget  me.  It  was  a  hopeless  quest,  and  I 
was  well  assured  of  the  fact  before  midwinter.  Yet 
it  served  its  part  as  a  time-killer ;  and  the  season  being 
too  far  advanced  for  the  descent  of  the  Ohio  by  boat, 
it  was  far  more  agreeable  as  well  as  advantageous  for 
me  to  while  away  my  enforced  holiday  in  Washing 
ton  than  needlessly  to  punish  myself  by  the  long  and 
wearisome  horseback  journey  to  the  Mississippi. 

So  I  lingered  on,  dancing  attendance  on  officials 
who  frowned,  and  dancing  the  minuet  with  ladies  who 
smiled.  Each  served  its  purpose  in  carrying  me  over 
what  would  otherwise  have  been  a  most  tedious  winter. 

March  came  and  dragged  along  more  than  the  due 
number  of  weeks  of  foul  weather.  Yet  with  the  ap 
proach  of  the  vernal  equinox  I  began  to  overhaul  my 
buckskins.  Being  well  able  to  imagine  the  state  of 


70  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

the  roads,  I  had  started  a  chest  with  the  bulk  of  my 
wardrobe  by  wagon  to  Pittsburg  ten  days  in  advance, 
and  all  my  preparations  had  been  made  to  follow 
after,  when  the  post  from  Philadelphia  brought  me  a 
letter  which  caused  me  to  change  my  plans  in  a  twink 
ling.  I  should  rather  have  termed  the  missive  a  note. 
It  was  without  date,  and  ran  thus: 

"If  Dr.  Robinson  is  interested  in  learning  of  a  project 
contemplated  by  two  parties  whom  he  met  at  dinner,  —  to 
wit,  a  certain  foreign  gentleman  and  the  writer,  —  he  will, 
on  his  return  West,  come  by  way  of  Philadelphia,  and  call 
upon  the  writer.  A.  B." 

Much  as  this  language  smacked  of  intrigue,  I  had 
no  hesitancy  in  changing  my  route  to  comply  with 
the  note.  It  was  not  that  I  felt  any  interest  in  the 
projects  of  Colonel  Burr  or  his  associates.  The  point 
was  that  to  my  mind  "  foreign  gentleman  "  spelled 
"  senor,"  and  I  had  met  but  one  senor  at  dinner  in  the 
company  of  Aaron  Burr.  If  senor,  why  not  senorita? 
The  rest  follows  as  a  matter  of  course. 

My  faithful  nag  had  not  gone  unridden  through 
the  winter.  A  man  does  not  always  give  over  the 
habit  of  a  daily  outing  because  of  balls  and  routs  and 
tea-sippings.  Yet  the  roads  north  might  have  been 
better  —  which  is  not  saying  much,  —  and  there  are 
limits  to  the  endurance  of  a  beast,  though  not  to  the 
miriness  of  a  seaboard  road  in  the  spring  rains.  I 
did  not  make  the  trip  to  Philadelphia  in  record  time. 

Upon  my  arrival  I  found  that  even  the  beast's 


The  Web  of  the  Plotter  1\ 

master  would,  be  the  better  for  a  night's  rest.  Di 
rected  to  the  Plow  Tavern,  I  demanded  food  and 
drink  for  man  and  horse,  and  having  washed  and 
supped,  soon  found  myself  pressing  the  clean  linen 
of  my  Quaker  host. 

Business  justifies  calls  at  early  hours,  and  I  did  not 
breakfast  late.  It  was  as  well,  perhaps,  that  I  missed 
my  way  in  the  square-laid  but  narrow  Quaker  streets, 
and  did  not  find  myself  upon  the  doorstep  of  Colonel 
Burr  until  midmorning.  Even  as  it  was,  I  had  a  wait 
of  several  minutes  in  the  drawing-room  before  the 
Colonel  entered,  wigless,  unshaven,  and  loosely  attired 
in  nightgown  and  slippers. 

While  waiting,  a  casual  survey  of  the  room  had  sur 
prised  me  with  its  evidences  of  a  lavish  establishment. 
Gossip  had  reported  that  the  Colonel  was  not  meeting 
all  his  extensive  indebtednesses  when  due. 

He  greeted  me  with  bland  cordiality,  notwith 
standing  the  inapt  hour  of  my  call. 

"Welcome,  doctor,  welcome!"  he  exclaimed. 
"  Better  late  than  never,  eh?  " 

"  You  are  kind,"  I  replied.  "  I  fancied  that  I  had 
come  too  early." 

He  glanced  at  his  dress  with  a  shrug.  "  Wine  and 
late  hours  carry  through  many  a  successful  confer 
ence.  You  will  join  me  in  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  roll?  " 

Though  I  had  no  wish  for  food,  I  assented,  for  I  saw 
that  he  had  not  yet  breakfasted.  We  were  soon  seated 
in  a  snug  little  den  of  a  room,  sipping  as  good  coffee 
as  I  had  ever  tasted  at  any  other  than  a  Creole  table. 


72  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Few  men  whom  I  have  met  have  greater  command 
of  their  features  than  has  Colonel  Burr.  On  the 
other  hand,  few  are  as  over-sanguine.  He  must 
have  inferred  that  my  speedy  response  to  his  note 
meant  outright  eagerness  to  share  in  the  projects 
at  which  he  had  hinted.  Scarcely  pausing  for  a 
few  civil  inquiries  as  to  mutual  acquaintances  in 
the  Federal  City,  he  interrupted  my  answers  in  the 
midst. 

"  Let  that  wait,  let  it  wait,  doctor! "  he  exclaimed, 
with  an  ingratiating  smile.  "  There  is  something  of 
greater  moment  to  us  both.  I  take  it  from  this  per 
sonal  response  to  my  note  that  you  are  not  uninter 
ested  in  the  plans  of  Senor  Vallois  and  myself." 

The  mention  of  the  senor's  name  drew  from  me 
a  sharp  nod  of  assent.  The  plans  of  Senor  Vallois 
could  not  but  concern  his  niece,  and  consequently 
myself.  The  Colonel  nodded  back,  and  his  smile 
deepened. 

"  You  are  aware,"  he  began,  "  that  I  have  contem 
plated  the  purchase  of  a  large  tract  of  land  beyond 
the  Mississippi,  within  the  Spanish  boundary,  on  a 
tributary  of  the  Red  River." 

"  The  project  was  mentioned  by  you  at  the  Presi 
dent's  house,"  I  replied. 

"  But  the  ulterior  purpose  of  the  scheme  —  " 

"  It  is  reported  that  you  have  planned  for  a  colony." 

"  As  a  move  necessary  to  the  advancement  of  the 
leal  project,"  he  explained. 

My  look  of  interest  was  not  assumed.    For  months 


The  Web  of  the  Plotter  73 

past  many  hundreds  of  persons,  enemies  no  less  than 
well-wishers  of  the  astute  Colonel,  had  been  guessing 
at  the  real  object  behind  his  rumored  schemes. 

He  nodded  shrewdly,  and  went  on,  almost  in  the 
words  of  Senator  Adair:  "Have  you  considered, 
doctor,  the  fortune  in  store  for  whoever  opens  an 
overland  trade  with  Santa  Fe? " 

"  Granted,  sir.  No  less  have  I  considered  the  im 
probability  of  obtaining  such  trade  concessions  from 
the  Spanish  authorities.  It  is  only  too  well  known 
that  their  policy  is  set  upon  jealous  exclusion.  Their 
desire  for  contact  with  our  Western  borderers  is  as 
slight  as  their  racial  and  religious  aversions  are  deep- 
seated  and  abiding." 

"Say  rather,  their  political  aversion.  Better  still, 
say  the  political  aversion  of  the  authorities  alone.  I 
have  reason  to  believe  that  the  people  of  Mexico  would 
welcome  closer  relations  with  us." 

"  It  is  not  possible!  "  I  protested. 

"  Have  you  never  thought  that  the  Spanish  colonies 
may  be  as  desirous  of  achieving  independence  from 
foreign  oppression  as  were  our  own? " 

"  There  is  the  contemplated  expedition  of  Miranda 
to  Caracas  to  speak  for  that,"  I  assented. 

"  We  have  the  outcry  of  our  insolent  friend  the 
Marquis  of  Casa  Yrujo  to  testify  as  to  the  Spanish 
view  of  Miranda.  The  point  is,  if  an  expedition  to 
South  America,  why  not  one  to  Mexico? " 

"  A  conquest?  "  I  inquired  —  "  an  extension  of  the 
vast  westward  boundaries  of  Louisiana  Territory? 


74  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

It  is  true  that  war  with  Spain  now  seems  inevitable. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Government  would  pro 
ceed  to  hostilities,  were  it  not  that  the  French  Min 
ister  intimates  that  the  Emperor  will  not  permit  the 


war." 


He  gave  me  a  cunning  look.  "  Ay!  With  a  Napo 
leon  behind  him,  General  Torreau  has  no  difficulty  in 
intimidating  our  meek  philosopher  of  the  White 
House.  Yet  the  Emperor  is  powerless.  England's 
fleets  guard  the  high  seas.  The  time  is  ripe  to  strike 
at  Spain.  We  shall  precipitate  the  war,  and  to  us  shall 
fall  the  prize!  Let  our  object  remain  unnamed. 
Enough  that  Senor  Vallois  speaks  for  certain  fellow 
haciendados  of  wealth  and  influence  living  in  the 
northern  part  of  New  Spain,  that  portion  of  the 
country  above  the  territory  of  the  viceroyalty  and 
under  the  government  of  General  Salcedo." 

"  Whom  they  term  the  Governor- General  of  the 
Internal  Provinces?" 

The  Colonel  nodded.  "These  friends  of  Senor 
Vallois  are  far  from  content  with  present  conditions. 
They  would  gladly  throw  off  the  yoke  of  Spain  if  the 
occasion  presented  itself.  My  plan  is  to  present  the 
occasion  by  means  of  an  army  of  invasion,  to  be  allied 
with  the  revolutionary  party.  There  are  thousands 
of  adventurous  riflemen  west  of  the  Alleghanies  not 
unready  to  follow  an  able  leader  to  the  land  of  the 
Montezumas." 

"  I  have  lived  on  the  frontier  too  long,  sir,  to  doubt 
that  the  tide  of  our  westward  emigration  will  roll  on 


The  Web  of  the  Plotter  75 

until  it  breaks  on  the  vast  desert  of  the  Western 
plains." 

"  I  care  not  for  the  tide,  sir!  We  shall  set  in  motion 
a  wave  that  will  roll  across  the  desert  into  the  golden 
paradise  of  El  Dorado!  " 

"  And  you  would  tell  me  a  man  of  Senor  Vallois's 
intelligence  invites  the  entrance  of  that  wave?  " 

Again  the  Colonel  gave  me  a  knowing  smile.  "  It 
will  be  for  the  Mexicans  to  care  for  their  own  interests 
when  the  time  comes.  Men  do  not  traverse  deserts 
and  destroy  governments  without  thought  of  reward. 
My  fiery  friend  General  Jackson  of  Tennessee  is 
champing  with  eagerness  to  share  in  the  conquest  of 
the  Spaniard.  Would  he  be  so  eager  were  it  ex 
plained  to  him  that  the  object  of  the  invasion  went  no 
further  than  the  freeing  of  the  people  of  that  remote 
land?  But  there  will  be  glory  and  recompense  for  all, 
and  to  spare.  I  have  pledged  Senor  Vallois  that  he 
and  his  friends  shall  gain  a  free  government,  and  with 
it  security  for  their  estates.  It  is  his  own  concern  if 
he  and  they  misconstrue  the  statement  too  much  in 
their  own  favor.  On  the  other  hand,  Jackson  is  a  man 
far  hungrier  for  glory  than  for  gold.  He  will  lead 
our  victorious  army  south  into  the  viceroyalty,  to 
capture  the  city  of  Mexico,  while  we  are  shaping  the 
new  Government  for  the  whole." 

The  magnitude  of  the  scheme  struck  me  dumb. 
The  Colonel  noted  the  fact  with  satisfaction.  He 
tapped  the  table  significantly.  '  That  Government, 
doctor,  is  already  in  process  of  formation.  As  orig- 


76  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

inator  and  leader  of  the -project,  I  claim  the  supreme 
office.  Certain  other  of  the  higher  offices  are  allotted. 
But  you,  sir,  are  a  man  of  scientific  attainments  and 
proven  courage,  and,  what  is  no  less  important  in 
a  royal  court,  you  are  a  gentleman." 

"  Royal  court?  "  I  muttered,  wondering  what  more 
might  follow. 

'  The  Spanish- American  is  not  qualified  to  enjoy 
a  republican  form  of  government.  Upon  this  Senor 
Vallois  and  myself  are  clearly  agreed.  The  plan  is 
a  constitutional  monarchy  or  empire,  with  a  restricted 
franchise,  the  voters  to  be  confined  to  the  ranks  of 
the  wealthy  and  the  intellectual." 

"  In  neither  of  which  classes  will  be  found  the  bulk 
of  your  invading  army.  I  foresee  a  revolution  to  cap 
your  conquest,"  was  my  comment. 

"  Men  can  be  managed,"  he  replied.  "  There  will 
not  be  lacking  the  spoils  of  office  and  the  plunder 
of  the  enemy  to  lull  their  discontent.  With  all 
their  leaders  bound  to  us  by  self-interest,  it  will 
not  be  difficult  to  hold  the  mass  in  check.  Senor 
Vallois  guarantees  a  stout  auxiliary  force  of  native 
militia." 

"  With  whom  our  rough  frontiersmen  will  make 
short  work,  in  sport,  if  not  in  deadly  earnest." 

"  Perhaps,  —  if  brought  in  contact  while  not  under 
the  fire  of  the  common  enemy.  Pray  do  not  imagine 
me  so  dull,  sir.  The  point  has  been  foreseen,  and 
has  been  discussed  with  men  of  military  training. 
The  army  of  invasion  will  remain  the  army  of 


The  Web  of  the  Plotter  77 

invasion.  West  of  Nuevo  Mexico  is  the  remote  Pa 
cific  province  of  the  Calif ornias ;  south  of  the  city  of 
Mexico  —  " 

"  You  think  to  conquer  an  empire! "  I  cried,  over 
whelmed. 

"  Why  not?  "  he  returned,  with  an  assurance  which 
for  the  time  swept  me  off  my  feet  in  the  current  of 
his  flashing  dreams. 

But  this  giddiness  was  not  alone  due  to  his  bare 
statement.  Behind  the  daring  words  I  had  seen  what 
to  me  was  the  lure  of  lures.  I  had  been  offered  in 
substance,  if  not  in  words,  an  office  of  dignity  in  the 
court  of  this  future  royal  personage,  among  whose 
lieutenants  was  numbered  the  kinsman  of  Senorita 
Vallois. 

What  wonder  if  for  the  moment  I  forgot  the  worth 
of  republican  citizenship  in  the  glittering  dream  of 
titled  office?  What  wonder  if  in  the  intoxication  of 
the  moment  I  saw  the  barrier  flung  down  between 
myself  and  her,  and  thought  to  barter  my  birthright 
as  an  American  for  a  vassal  estate  which  should  bring 
me  within  reach  of  her? 

"An  empire!"  I  repeated.  "The  spoils  to  the 
victor  —  and  to  his  followers.  At  what,  sir,  do  you 
appraise  my  worth? " 

His  answer  was  ready  to  glibness :  "  The  title  of 
marquis,  an  estate  to  support  the  dignity,  and  a  seat 
in  my  privy  council,  or  such  other  office  as  your 
merits  may  indicate  during  the  consummation  of  our 
projects." 


78  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"You  have  made  sure  of  Senor  Vallois?"  I  de 
manded. 

"  He  is  with  us  hand  and  glove.  I  have  planned 
to  cross  the  Alleghanies  about  midsummer.  Senor 
Vallois  has  gone  before,  to  negotiate  with  certain 
persons  at  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans,  whom  other 
wise  I  might  find  difficult  of  approach." 

"  He  has  gone  west? "  I  repeated,  unable  to  credit 
my  ears. 

"  At  my  request.  It  was  required  that  he  should 
go  by  way  of  New  Orleans,  in  any  event,  and  the 
coastwise  voyage  is  far  from  pleasant  at  this  season. 
Hatteras  has  an  evil  name  in  equinoctial  weather. 
Also  there  is  danger  of  Spanish  pirates  off  Cuba  and 
in  the  Gulf.  It  is  hard  to  find  passage  in  other  than 
an  American  ship,  and  a  cannon-ball  or  musket  shot 
fired  by  a  Spanish  pirate  at  a  Yankee  hull  would  not 
turn  aside  to  avoid  the  Spanish  don  who  chanced  to 
be  aboard  that  selfsame  Yankee." 

Masking  my  eagerness  with  a  smile  at  the  conceit 
he  pictured,  I  remarked  in  as  casual  a  tone  as  I  could 
command :  "  The  don,  then,  is  well  on  his  way  to 
St.  Louis?" 

"  Not  he!  "  snapped  the  Colonel.  "  It  is  now  only 
seven  —  no,  eight  days  since  he  started.  Knowing 
the  condition  of  the  roads,  I  advised  that  he  should 
take  to  the  saddle,  and  leave  his  charming  niece  to 
continue  her  visit  with  my  daughter  Theodosia,  who, 
as  doubtless  you  have  heard,  is  the  wife  of  Senator 
Allston  of  South  Carolina.  I  may  mention  in  con- 


The  Web  of  the  Plotter  79 

fidence  that  my  son-in-law  is  one  of  the  foremost  of 
all  those  interested  in  our  grand  project.  When  I 
begin  my  second  Western  tour,  both  he  and  my  be 
loved  Theodosia  and  my  little  grandson  will  accom 
pany  me." 

"  From  all  that  I  have  heard,  sir,  Mrs.  Allston  has 
only  to  make  an  acquaintance  to  find  a  friend,"  I  said. 

His  fond  ear  was  quick  to  catch  the  sincerity  of  my 
tone,  and  a  look  of  the  most  profound  and  unselfish 
love  ennobled  his  crafty  face.  But  my  own  love  cried 
out  for  an  ending  of  the  bitter-sweet  suspense. 

"So  Senor  Vallois  was  so  ill  advised  as  to  take  with 
him  his  niece?  —  or  was  she  not  his  daughter?"  I 
commented. 

"  His  niece.  Did  you  not  meet  her  at  the  table  of 
our  Jacobin  philosopher?  To  be  sure  you  did !  I  have 
not  so  soon  forgotten  that  gallant  exploit  with  the 
fence  rails!  .  .  .  Thanks  to  the  obstinacy  of  her 
uncle,  she  will  be  muddying  that  dainty  arched  foot 
in  the  wayside  bog  for  days  to  come.  There  will  be 
few  Dr.  Robinsons  between  here  and  Pittsburg  to  pry 
out  the  carriage  of  the  bemired  Dulcinea." 

"  Ah,  well,"  I  observed,  "  doubtless  the  senor  will 
arrive  in  time  enough  to  take  advantage  of  the  spring 
fresh.  What  he  loses  on  the  road  he  will  regain  by 
the  added  swiftness  of  the  Ohio's  current." 

"  True  —  true." 

"  I  had  myself  thought  to  take  advantage  of  the 
early  floods.  My  interests  impel  me  to  return  to 
Louisiana  as  speedily  as  possible." 


80  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

The  Colonel  gave  me  another  of  his  shrewd  looks. 
1  You  will  not  take  it  amiss,  doctor,"  he  said,  "  if  I 
repeat  current  gossip  that  the  object  of  your  Winter 
in  the  Federal  City  was  not  attained."  I  nodded, 
without  show  of  offence,  and  he  added  quickly,  "  As 
well,  as  well,  my  dear  sir!  It  has  brought  you  better 
fortune,  and  your  wish  atop !  You  shall  have  a  letter 
from  me  to  General  Wilkinson." 

The  suddenness  of  this  took  me  unawares,  but  he 
had  turned  at  the  words  $o  summon  the  servant,  and  did 
not  observe  my  confusion.  Calling  for  pen,  ink,  and 
paper,  he  turned  again  to  me  with  outstretched  hand. 

"Your  hand  to  it,  doctor!"  he  cried.  "You  are 
with  us?  —  you  cast  in  your  fortune  with  the  future 
Empire  of  the  West?  " 

"  A  word,  sir,"  I  protested.  "  The  heritage  left  me 
by  my  father  was  scant  as  to  property,  but  I  have 
found  it  rich  in  wisdom.  It  included  this  old  adage, 
'  Look  before  you  leap.' ' 

"Good!  good,  sir!  Most  excellent  advice!  Yet 
have  I  not  shown  you  the  prospect?  " 

"You  have,  sir,  and  not  without  avail.  It  is  an 
alluring  prospect.  I  confess  myself  tempted.  Yet 
—  I  have  seen  what  the  French  term  the  mirage. 
I  should  prefer  to  hold  my  decision  until  I  have  dipped 
my  cup  in  the  lake  and  found  it  filled." 

"Eh!  eh!"  he  chuckled.  "I'll  wager  there's 
Scotch  blood  in  your  veins  —  Scotch  blood!" 

"  At  the  least,  I  would  look  closer  at  the  water," 
I  insisted. 


The  Web  of  the  Plotter  81 

"  You  shall,  sir —  my  word  for  it!  "  he  responded, 
with  an  assurance  which  shook  my  last  doubt.  "  You 
shall  have  the  letter  to  Wilkinson.  When  it  has 
brought  you  your  wish,  then,  and  not  until  then,  need 
you  consider  your  pledge  binding." 

"  Sir,"  I  said,  tempted  beyond  my  strength,  "  I 
accept  the  terms." 

"Your  hand  to  it!"  he  cried,  and  his  soft  white 
fingers  closed  about  mine  with  a  strength  of  grip  that 
astonished  me.  "  To  you,  sir,  shall  be  entrusted  the 
double  mission  of  opening  communication  across  the 
Western  boundaries  with  our  Mexican  allies,  and  of 
negotiating  with  the  present  Spanish  authorities  for 
the  Santa  Fe  trade.  I  need  hardly  mention  to  a  man 
of  your  intelligence  that  such  projects  as  we  contem 
plate  are  not  carried  to  completion  without  funds.  To 
me  falls  the  task  of  collecting  the  sinews  of  war." 

"  To  me  the  leadership  of  the  scouts!  "  I  cried.  "  I 
am  doubly  hot  to  take  the  road.  Dawn  shall  see  me 
in  the  saddle! " 

;<  The  fire  of  youth!  "  he  exclaimed,  again  clasping 
my  hand.  "  Go,  make  your  preparations.  You  will 
ride  none  the  less  swiftly  that  you  carry  a  packet  of 
letters  for  me." 

"Willingly!" 

"You  think  to  go  south  to  New  Orleans?"  I 
bowed.  "  Then  a  letter  as  well  to  Daniel  Clark." 

"  I  am  known  to  him." 

"  True;  but  I  have  word  to  send  him  —  no  less  to 
Wilkinson  —  regarding  the  death  of  Pitt." 


82  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  It  is  months  since  that  event,"  I  remarked.  "  The 
Prime  Minister  died  in  January." 

:<  The  post  to  Louisiana  is  uncertain.  Wilkinson 
at  least  may  not  have  heard,  and  I  have  comments  to 
make.  You  will  deliver  the  letters  for  me?  " 

"  I  should  be  pleased  to  do  so,  sir.  It  is  a  small 
enough  favor  to  undertake,  even  for  a  chance 
acquaintance." 

"  But  a  favor  that  shall  be  remembered,  doctor. 
Your  lodging?  " 

"  The  Plow  Inn." 

"  The  packet  shall  be  in  your  hands  by  evening,"  he 
replied. 

I  rose  at  the  words,  and  he  showed  me  to  the  door, 
with  repeated  assurances  of  confidence  and  esteem. 


CHAPTER   VII 

SHIP  AND   CREW 

THE  promised  packet  of  letters  was  delivered  to 
me  at  the  Plow  shortly  after  dark,  by  the  man 
who  had  served  coffee  at  the  Colonel's.  It  was  accom 
panied  by  a  note  in  which  Mr.  Burr  pleaded  pressing 
business  as  an  excuse  for  not  delivering  the  packet 
in  person.  To  this  he  had  added  a  postscript  em 
powering  me  to  break  the  seal  of  the  packet  upon  my 
arrival  at  St.  Louis. 

It  struck  me  as  most  odd  that  the  packet  should 
have  been  sealed  at  all.  But  upon  reflection,  I  con 
cluded  that  this  was  a  very  proper  precaution  against 
a  chance  inspection  of  the  contents  by  prying  busy- 
bodies  who  should  happen  to  handle  the  packet.  The 
letters  might  well  contain  statements  open  to  miscon 
struction  by  the  Colonel's  numerous  and  powerful 
enemies,  or  details  of  plans,  publicity  of  which,  owing 
to  the  necessity  of  secrecy,  might  disconcert  the  prog 
ress  of  the  great  project.  The  instruction  to  me  to 
open  the  packet  upon  my  arrival  prevented  any  ques 
tioning  of  the  Colonel's  confidence  in  myself. 

Thanks  to  a  large  hostler-fee,  my  horse  came  from 
the  stable  after  his  day  of  rest  as  fresh  as  when  we 
left  Washington,  and  hardened  by  the  trip.  He  had 


84  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

need  for  all  the  endurance  within  his  nature.  Before 
dawn  his  hoofs  were  clattering  across  the  great  new 
bridge  over  the  Schuylkill. 

In  the  dense  night  of  the  bridge's  enclosed  roof  and 
sides,  it  was  like  riding  through  a  hall  of  vast  length, 
with  no  guidance  other  than  the  faint  starlight  at  the 
far  end.  The  thought  struck  me  that  this  was  apt 
symbol  of  my  love-quest.  The  darkness  was  as  the 
night  of  my  lady's  fathomless  eyes,  through  which  in 
the  uncertain  distance  I  could  no  more  than  fancy  a 
dim  starlight  of  hope. 

Musing  on  the  conceit,  I  continued  the  allegory  as 
we  left  the  bridge  and  splattered  away  on  the  old 
colonial  road  to  the  Monongahela,  with  the  fancy  that 
in  spirit,  as  in  body,  I  had  passed  from  the  shut-in 
blackness  out  into  the  openness  of  space,  and  that 
before  me  was  promise  of  fair  dawn. 

The  day's  dawn  came  as  promised,  bringing  me  still 
greater  elevation  of  spirit.  And  within  the  mile  a 
mischievous  farmer's  brat  by  the  wayside  tumbled  me 
from  heaven  to  muddy  earth  by  howling  in  a  voice  of 
lively  concern  that  my  horse  had  lost  his  tail.  So  near 
does  the  ridiculous  skirt  the  sublime!  I  had  begun 
my  journey  on  the  Day  of  All  Fools. 

Perish  superstition !  Who  but  the  ignorant  believes 
in  signs  and  omens  ?  And  if  mine  was  in  truth  a  wild- 
goose  chase,  the  sooner  I  reached  the  end  of  my 
running  the  better.  I  neither  would  nor  could  have 
checked  myself  had  the  thought  come  to  me  to  turn 
back. 


Ship  and  Crew  85 

A  journey  tedious  enough  in  the  best  of  seasons  is 
not  improved  by  April  rains  and  boggy  roads.  On 
the  other  hand,  I  had  that  drawing  me  Westward 
which  would  have  spurred  the  tortoise  into  striving 
for  the  hare's  leap.  It  is  sufficient  evidence  of  my 
haste  to  state  that,  for  all  the  condition  of  the  roads, 
I  made  in  fifteen  days  the  trip  which  is  considered  well 
covered  if  ridden  in  nineteen. 

Let  me  hasten  to  add  that  this  was  not  done  on  one 
nag.  Even  had  not  my  love  of  man's  second  friend 
served  to  prevent  so  brutal  an  attempt,  failure  would 
have  been  inevitable.  With  the  best  of  roads,  not  a 
horse  in  the  Republic  could  have  carried  through  a 
man  of  my  weight  in  the  time.  The  attempt  was  not 
necessary.  Thanks  to  a  kindly  acquaintance  here  and 
there  along  my  route  and  to  a  sufficiency  of  silver  in 
my  saddlebags,  I  managed  to  obtain  a  fresh  mount  on 
an  average  of  twice  in  every  three  days.  With  such 
relays,  I  was  able  to  ride  post-haste,  yet  leave  behind 
me  each  horse,  in  turn,  none  the  worse  for  his  part  in 
the  race. 

Up  hill  and  down  dale,  pound,  splatter,  and  chug, 
I  pushed  my  mounts  to  their  best  pace,  along  the  old 
Philadelphia  road.  In  other  circumstances  and  under 
clearer  skies  I  might  have  paused  now  and  again  to 
enjoy  the  pleasant  aspect  of  the  Alleghany  scenery, 
—  its  winding  rivers  and  brooks,  its  romantic  heights 
and  budding  woods.  But  from  the  first  my  thoughts 
were  ever  flying  ahead  to  the  Monongahela,  and  the 
sole  interest  I  turned  to  my  surroundings  was  centred 


86  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

upon  such  urgent  matters  as  food,  lodging,  and  fresh 
mounts. 

At  the  end  of  the  journey  I  found  myself  in  clear 
memory  of  but  three  incidents,  —  a  tavern  brawl  with 
a  dozen  or  more  carousing  young  farmers,  who  chose 
to  consider  themselves  insulted  by  my  refusal  to  take 
more  than  one  glass  of  their  raw  whiskey;  the  swim 
ming  of  the  Susquehanna  River,  because  of  a  dis 
ablement  of  the  ferry;  and  a  brush  with  a  trio  of 
highwaymen  at  nightfall  in  the  thick  of  a  dense 
wood.  The  rascals  did  not  catch  me  with  damp 
priming.  When  they  sprang  out  at  me,  I  knocked 
over  the  foremost,  as  he  reached  for  the  bridle,  with  a 
thrust  of  my  rifle  muzzle,  and  swung  the  barrel 
around  in  time  to  shatter  the  shoulder  of  the  second 
fellow  with  a  shot  fired  from  the  hip.  The  third 
would  have  done  for  me  had  not  his  priming  flashed 
in  the  pan.  He  turned  and  leaped  back  into  the 
thicket,  while  I  was  quite  content  to  clap  spurs  to  my 
horse  and  gallop  on  up  the  road. 

But  even  this  last  adventure  failed  to  hold  a  place 
in  my  thoughts  when  at  last,  near  midafternoon  of  the 
fifteenth  day,  I  came  in  view  of  Elizabethtown  on  the 
Monongahela.  Here  it  was  I  had  reason  to  hope  that 
I  might  overtake  Senor  Vallois  and  his  party.  With 
roads  so  difficult,  it  was  more  to  be  expected  that  he 
would  take  boat  from  this  lively  little  shipping  point 
than  rag  on  through  the  mire  to  Pittsburg. 

Cheered  by  the  thought,  I  urged  my  horse  into  a 
jog  trot,  which,  however,  soon  fell  back  into  a  walk 


Ship  and  Crew  87 

as  the  weary  beast  floundered  through  the  deeper  mire 
of  the  town's  main  street.  I  rode  as  directly  as  pos 
sible  toward  the  leading  tavern.  Senor  Vallois  was 
not  the  man  to  lie  at  any  other  than  the  best  of  inns 
when  choice  offered. 

With  quick-beating  heart  I  made  out  the  sign  of 
the  tavern  I  sought,  and  again  attempted  to  urge  my 
horse  into  a  jog.  He  was  slow  to  respond  either  to 
word  or  spur,  and  I  suddenly  gave  over  the  effort 
at  sight  of  a  tall  and  dignified  figure  which  stepped 
from  the  inn  door  and  swung  easily  upon  the  horse 
which  a  half -grown  lad  had  been  holding  in  wait. 

The  first  glance  had  told  me  what  I  most  wished 
to  know.  My  chase  had  not  been  fruitless.  The 
Spanish  cloak  and  hat  and  high  riding  boots  of  the 
don  were  unmistakable,  even  had  I  not  recognized 
the  Spanish  dignity  of  his  bearing.  Certain  of  his 
identity,  I  would  have  preferred  to  postpone  a  meet 
ing  until  I  had  found  opportunity  to  bathe  and  to 
change  to  the  one  shift  of  linen  and  clothes  which 
I  carried  behind  the  cantle  of  my  saddle.  Yet  I  made 
no  attempt  to  avoid  him  when  he  wheeled  his  horse 
about  and  rode  directly  toward  me. 

Had  it  not  been  for  our  first  meeting  in  the  yellow 
clay  of  Washington's  famous  avenue,  I  doubt  if  the 
don  were  unmistakable,  even  had  I  not  recognized 
buckskins.  With  that  memory  in  mind,  it  is  not  un 
likely  that  my  mud-smirched  condition  only  served 
to  add  to  the  quickness  of  his  perception.  We  were 
almost  passing,  when  he  raised  his  eyes,  which  had 


88  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

been  staring  down  into  the  miry  road  in  frowning 
abstraction.  His  glance  swept  over  me  and  rested 
on  my  face.  A  moment  later  he  had  drawn  rein  and 
was  bowing  to  me. 

"  Por  Dios!  It  is  our  gallant  caballero  of  the  mire! 
—  Buenos  dias,  Dr.  Robinson!  " 

:<  To  you  the  same,  Senor  Vallois! "  I  returned. 

"  It  is  a  strange  chance  which  brings  us  to  a  meet 
ing  in  this  wilderness  bog,"  he  remarked,  with  what 
I  thought  was  a  shade  of  suspicion  in  his  proud  black 
eyes. 

There  was  every  reason  for  me  to  seek  at  once  to 
place  myself  on  the  footing  with  him  that  I  desired. 
Meeting  his  glance  with  a  careless  nod,  I  answered 
readily:  "It  is  a  pleasant  chance  which  brings  us 
together  here,  but  not  a  strange  one.  Little  travel 
comes  from  Philadelphia  to  the  Ohio  other  than  on 
the  road  we  both  have  such  cause  to  remember." 

"  From  Philadelphia?  "  he  questioned. 

"  I  carry  despatches  from  Colonel  Burr." 

"You!"  he  cried,  thrown  out  of  his  aristocratic 
reserve.  But  in  the  same  breath  he  was  bowing  his 
apologies.  "Your  pardon,  senor!  I  was  not  aware 
that  you  and  Colonel  Burr  —  " 

"  Nor  he,  senor,  until  a  few  days  ago,"  I  hastened 
to  explain.  "  Senator  Adair  of  Kentucky  was  for 
merly  my  father's  friend  and  camp -mate.  He  advised 
me  to  see  Colonel  Burr.  When  I  started  upon  my 
return  West,  I  came  by  way  of  Philadelphia.  It  did 
not  take  me  long  to  come  to  an  agreement  with  —  " 


Ship  and  Crew  89 

I  lowered  my  voice  and  leaned  nearer  the  don  — 
"  the  man  who  professes  an  intention  to  strike  off  the 
fetters  of  a  land  dear  to  Senor  Vallois." 

"  Poder  de  Dios!  "  cried  the  don,  reaching  his  hand 
to  me  with  a  fiery  impetuosity  of  which  I  had  be 
lieved  him  incapable  —  "  Santisima  Firgen!  You 
are  one  of  us !  You  have  cast  in  your  lot  with  the  new 
league  of  freedom! " 

It  angered  me  that  I  must  qualify.  "  Hold,  senor! 
I  did  not  say  that.  I  have  not  gone  so  far  —  as  yet." 

"As  yet?"  he  demanded. 

"  Your  pardon,  senor,  but  many  such  projects  are 
schemed,  and  in  the  end  prove  to  be  —  *  castles  in 
Spain.'  " 

He  smiled  gravely  and  without  offence.  "  Senor, 
I  give  you  my  word  that  I  and  my  friends  are  pre 
pared  to  build  the  Western  wall  of  the  castle." 

"  Your  word,  senor,  is  sufficient.  But  there  remains 
the  Eastern  wall,  and  I  am  doubtful  of  the  builders. 
I  did  not  ask  for  Colonel  Burr's  word.  I  preferred 
something  more  substantial.  He  has  promised  that 
I  shall  receive  such  proof  upon  my  arrival  at  St. 
Louis." 

"  Then  you,  too,  go  to  the  —  to  St.  Louis?  " 

"  To  the  General,"  I  responded,  surmising  that  it 
was  General  Wilkinson  whom  he  had  hesitated  to 
name. 

"  You  spoke  of  despatches." 

"  Letters  from  the  Colonel  to  parties  we  both  seek, 
in  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans." 


90  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  Colonel  Burr  entrusted  me  with  numerous  de 
spatches." 

"  He  mentioned  the  day  of  my  visit  with  him  in 
Philadelphia  as  the  eighth  after  your  departure.  That 
week  may  have  seen  developments  or  changes  which 
required  fresh  despatches." 

"  Poder  de  Dios!  "  he  exclaimed.  "  You  left  Phila 
delphia  eight  days  later  —  and  are  here!  " 

"  At  your  service,  senor." 

"  Santisima  Fir  gen!  And  I  had  four  horses  to  my 
carriage!  " 

"  I  had  nine  horses  beneath  my  saddle,   in  suc 


cession." 


"  Firgen!    What  a  caballero!  " 

"  When  a  man  is  in  haste  to  see  his  journey's  end, 
senor,  he  does  not  loll  about  taverns  on  the  way.  You 
came  in  yesterday?  "  He  bowed.  "  Then  you  may 
be  able  to  tell  me  what  are  the  chances  of  obtaining 
quick  passage  down  the  river." 

He  looked  across  toward  the  shipyards  with  a  frown. 

"  I  am  now  on  my  way  to  inquire,  senor,"  he  an 
swered.  "  Against  the  better  counsel  of  Colonel 
Burr,  I  was  so  ill  advised  as  to  bring  a  seaman  from 
the  seaboard  to  have  charge  of  the  water  journey." 

"  A  salt-water  sailor  on  an  Ohio  flat!  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  The  senor  forgets  that  I  am  a  stranger  to  his  forest 
wilderness." 

"  Your  pardon,  Senor  Vallois !  —  Permit  me  to  ride 
with  you.  It  may  be  I  can  assist  you." 

"  Na-da-a!  "  he  protested.     "  I  cannot  permit  it. 


Ship  and  Crew  91 

You  have  ridden  for  fifteen  days  at  more  than  post 
speed.  You  must  first  refresh  yourself." 

"  The  senor  forgets  that  I  am  no  less  eager  than 
himself  to  arrange  for  the  river  passage.  Rest  assured 
I  am  good  for  another  day  in  the  saddle,  if  need  be, 
at  your  service,  senor." 

As  I  wheeled  around,  and  we  started  for  the  river 
side,  he  looked  me  up  and  down  with  a  wondering 
glance. 

"  For  Dios!  "  he  muttered.  "  I  had  thought  none 
could  ride  as  ride  our  vaqueros.  You  are  a  man  of 


iron." 


"  I  am  the  son  of  my  father,"  I  replied.  "  How 
other  than  hard  could  be  the  sons  of  the  men  who 
wrested  this  Western  land  from  the  savages,  —  who 
have  driven  the  Cherokees,  Creeks,  and  Choctaws 
south  of  Tennessee,  and  pressed  back  the  Northwest 
Indians  to  their  present  fastnesses  about  the  Great 
Lakes?" 

"  It  is  true,"  he  said.  "  I  have  been  told  no  little 
of  that  most  cruel  and  ferocious  warfare  waged  by 
your  savage  enemies.  I  myself  know  the  fearsomeness 
of  the  raids  of  our  equally  ferocious  Apaches  and 
Yaquis.  Therefore  I  do  not  wonder  that  the  men  and 
the  sons  of  the  men  who  met  their  painted  enemies 
in  this  gloomy  wilderness  should  have  become  not  only 
hard,  but  rude  and  harsh  in  their  manners." 

"  Given  that  and  the  prevailing  craze  for  raw 
whiskey,  and  we  have  —  what  we  have.  Yet  they 
are  the  men  whose  fathers  met  the  Indian  on  his 


92  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

own  ground;  who  themselves  have  met  the  ravaging 
war  parties,  and  who  will  doubtless  again  meet 
them,  —  though  I  trust  not  again  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio." 

"  May  the  Virgin  grant  that  your  trust  is  well 
founded! "  returned  the  senor,  with  deep  earnestness. 
"  Yet  the  British  soldiers  still  hold  your  lake  forts, 
and  it  is  rumored  that  the  British  agents  are  ever 
at  work  conspiring  with  the  Northern  tribes  against 
the  interests  of  your  people.  Let  me  predict  that 
unless  Britain  is  humbled  by  the  great  Emperor,  she 
will  make  excuse  of  your  many  differences  to  crush 
your  Republic  and  regain  these  lost  colonies." 

"  Let  her  try!  "  I  cried.  "  Let  her  turn  loose  her 
savage  allies  upon  us,  and  we  will  hurl  them  back 
into  the  lakes !  We  will  cross  over  and  drive  redcoats 
and  redskins  alike  down  the  St.  Lawrence  into  the 
sea!  Even  the  abject  people  of  the  seaboard,  who 
now  lick  the  foot  that  spurns  them,  will  remember 
their  fathers  of  the  Revolution,  and  strike  the  enemy 
as  Paul  Jones  and  his  fellows  struck  them,  —  on  the 


sea." 


The  senor  met  my  enthused  glance  with  unmoved 
gravity.  "  I  have  heard  mention  of  what  is  called 
President  Jefferson's  mosquito  fleet." 

Our  arrival  at  the  shipyards  gave  me  welcome  ex 
cuse  to  change  the  subject.  I  pointed  to  the  scores  of 
river  craft,  afloat  in  the  stream  or  in  course  of  con 
struction.  "  Had  you  in  mind,  senor,  to  take  a  bateau 
or  a  flat?" 


Ship  and  Crew  93 

"  Bateau?  —  flat?  "  he  repeated.  "  Your  pardon, 
doctor,  but  the  terms  — ?  " 

"  A  bateau  is  a  boat  of  flat  bottom  but  with  keel. 
A  flat  is  a  great  scow  without  keel,  and  often  provided 
with  deal  cabins." 

"  I  had  been  told  how  to  proceed,  but  left  all  to  that 
rascal  of  a  seaman.  Immediately  upon  our  arrival,  he 
told  me,  with  many  foul  oaths,  that  he  intended  to 
make  no  ventures  on  fresh  water,  and  to  show  his  con 
tempt  for  the  saltless  fluid,  has  sat  ever  since  in  the 
taproom  of  the  inn,  guzzling  whiskey." 

"  You  are  better  off  without  the  fellow,"  I  said. 
"  There  are  scores  of  men  to  be  hired  here  who  are  well 
used  to  river  travel.  Is  it  your  intention  to  hire  pas 
sage,  or  to  purchase  your  own  boat? " 

"  Privacy  is  desirable.  I  have  disposed  of  my  coach 
and  horses  with  less  loss  than  I  had  feared.  If  boats 
are  not  too  high  in  price  —  " 

"  Rest  easy  as  to  that,  senor.  Boats  are  one  of  the 
cheapest  products  of  the  shipping  towns.  The  ques 
tion  first  to  decide  is  whether  you  prefer  a  keelboat 
or  a  flat." 

"  Senor,  I  must  rely  upon  your  good  advice,"  he 
replied. 

I  pointed  at  the  swollen,  turbid  current  of  the  Mo- 
nongahela,  swirling  high  along  its  banks.  "  As  you 
see,  the  river  is  in  full  flood.  It  is  what  the  rivermen 
term  the  Spring  fresh.  The  Ohio  now  runs  no  less 
swiftly,  at  times  fully  eight  miles  an  hour.  I  should 
advise  you  to  choose  a  flat,  because  it  will  travel  little 


94  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

less  speedily  than  a  bateau,  and  with  its  house,  will 
prove  a  far  more  comfortable  craft  for  so  long  a 
voyage." 

"  Comfort  is  an  important  consideration,  doctor. 
With  me  travels  my  niece,  whom  you  may  remember." 

I  kept  such  command  of  my  features  as  I  could. 
"  I  have  a  clear  memory  of  Senorita  Vallois.  It  is 
unfortunate." 

"Unfortunate!"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  lift  of  his 
black  brows. 

"  That  you  have  no  servant  skilled  in  handling  a 
river  boat." 

"Ah  — that!" 

"A  single  man  could  manage  your  flat,  provided  you 
were  willing  to  lend  a  hand  on  occasion  at  steer-oar  or 
pole  —  a  few  minutes,  it  might  be,  once  or  twice  a  day. 
There  are,  as  I  have  said,  numbers  of  skilled  rivermen 
to  be  hired.  But  —  "I  paused  as  if  to  consider  — • 
"  No.  I  could  bring  you  more  than  one  for  whose 
faithfulness  I  could  vouch,  but  none  who  is  not  foul- 
mouthed  and  —  to  a  foreigner  —  insolent." 

Shifting  my  gaze  to  the  nearest  flat,  I  waited  in 
eager  suspense.  He  answered  with  a  question:  "  Do 
I  understand  you  to  say  that  with  my  help  one  man 
could  guide  so  clumsy  a  craft?  "  I  nodded,  with  as 
sumed  carelessness.  "  And  you  are  yourself  skilled 
as  a  riverman,  senor?  "  Again  I  nodded.  I  could  not 
trust  myself  to  speak.  He  continued  with  polite  hesi 
tancy:  "  Would  you,  then,  think  it  odd,  Dr.  Robinson, 
if  I  requested  you  to  make  the  river  journey  with  me?  " 


Ship  and  Crew  95 

"Senor!"  I  cried,  "it  would  give  me  great 
pleasure! " 

"  Carambo! "  he  muttered,  at  sight  of  my  glowing 
face. 

A  moment's  hesitancy  would  have  lost  me  all  the 
vantage  I  had  gained.  I  held  my  left  hand  level 
before  me,  and  swept  off  the  upturned  palm  with  my 
right.  There  are  few  of  the  Indian  signs  which  do  not 
pass  current  from  the  lakes  of  the  North  and  the 
swamps  of  the  South  to  the  most  remote  of  the  tribes 
in  the  Far  West.  I  was  right  in  my  surmise  that  they 
were  known  even  across  the  Spanish  borders. 

The  senor  bowed  in  quick  apology:  "  A  thousand 
pardons,  Senor  Robinson!  " 

"  A  man  does  not  ride  post-haste  without  expense," 
I  said,  with  a  seriousness  which  was  not  all  feigned. 

"  A  thousand  pardons!  "  he  repeated.  "  My  purse 
is  at  your  disposal,  Senor  Robinson.  I  do  not  speak 
in  empty  compliment.  Such  funds  as  you  may 
require  —  " 

ff  Muchas  gracias!  "  I  broke  in.  "  I  have  enough 
silver  left  to  jingle  in  my  pocket.  My  thought  was 
that  it  would  be  more  agreeable  to  work  my  passage 
with  an  acquaintance  than  with  strangers.  At  this 
season  it  is  unusual  for  persons  of  culture  to  under 
take  the  river  trip.  The  voyage  is  becoming  quite  the 
fashion  among  young  gentlemen  of  means  and  enter 
prise,  but  they  seldom  venture  over  the  mountains 
before  settled  weather,  and  the  rivermen,  as  I  have 
remarked,  are  not  always  the  best  of  company." 


96  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  Senor,  no  more!  We  share  this  voyage  as  fellow- 
travellers  —  my  boat  and  your  skill.  Is  it  not  so?  " 

"  Senor,  my  thanks!  "  I  replied.  "  Yet  first,  there 
is  the  question  of  Senorita  Vallois's  pleasure.  It  is  a 
long  voyage.  I  would  not  thrust  myself  upon  your 
intimacy  against  the  lady's  inclinations." 

"  My  niece  will  be  no  less  pleased  than  myself  to 
travel  in  company  with  a  gentleman  of  our  acquaint 
ance.  I  will  answer  for  that.  My  niece  has  lived  for 
three  years  in  England.  While  we  travel  in  Anglo- 
America,  we  are  agreed  to  comply  with  such  customs 
of  the  country  as  do  not  differ  too  widely  from  our 


own." 


I  bowed  low  to  hide  my  extreme  satisfaction.  It 
was  the  rarest  of  good  fortune  to  have  penetrated  the 
reserve  with  which  a  Spanish  gentleman  surrounds  the 
ladies  of  his  family.  But  it  was  not  my  part  to  dwell 
upon  the  fact.  I  hastened  to  point  out  a  flatboat  which 
had  caught  my  eye  when  we  first  rode  down  to  the 
bank. 

'  What  is  your  opinion  of  that  craft? "  I  asked. 

"  So  large  a  boat  —  for  two  men?    Santa  Maria!  " 

"  Hardly  forty  feet  over  all,"  I  replied.  "  Let  us 
go  aboard." 

He  swung  to  the  ground  as  quickly  as  myself,  and 
we  hitched  our  horses  to  the  nearest  stump.  As  the 
flat  was  moored  alongside  the  rough  wharf,  we  had 
only  to  step  aboard.  The  height  of  the  water  brought 
the  craft  almost  on  a  level  with  the  wharf. 

A  glance  or  two  showed  me  that  the  boat  was  al- 


Ship  and  Crew  97 

ready  fitted  out  with  steer-oar,  sweeps  and  poles,  a 
kedge  with  ample  line,  and  a  light  skiff,  snugly  stowed 
in  the  ten-foot  space  of  open  prow.  Having  next 
made  sure  that  she  was  well  calked  and  dry,  I  led  the 
sefior  through  the  house.  It  was  divided  into  three 
apartments  or  rooms,  of  which  the  one  nearest  the 
stern  was  some  five  feet  the  longest. 

"  Here,"  I  said,  pointing  to  the  rude  but  well-built 
fireplace,  "  is  the  kitchen,  salon,  and  dining-room  of 
our  floating  inn." 

We  passed  on  through  the  middle  and  forward 
rooms.  Like  the  kitchen,  both  were  limited  to  a  width 
of  seven  feet  by  the  need  of  a  runway  without,  along 
each  side  of  the  boat.  But  Sefior  Vallois  looked  about 
approvingly. 

"  We  could  share  this  cabin,"  he  said,  glancing 
about  the  forward  room. 

"  My  thanks,  sefior,  but  I  can  make  shift  to  sleep 
on  deck,"  I  replied. 

"  There  will  be  rain  —  there  is  always  rain  in  this 
northern  country  of  yours.  No.  You  will  do  me  the 
favor  of  sharing  this  cabin  with  me.  There  are  two 
berths,  as  you  see." 

I  looked  gravely  at  the  rude  bunks  built,  one  above 
the  other,  on  the  left  wall,  and  bowed  my  acceptance 
of  the  offer. 

"  It  is  well,"  he  continued.  "  My  niece  and  her 
woman  will  share  the  middle  room.  There  remains 
only  the  question  of  purchase." 

"  Leave  the  bargaining  to  me,"  I  said  quickly,  at 


98  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

sight  of  the  shrewd-faced  Yankee  who  came  down  the 
wharf  as  we  stepped  out  into  the  open  prow. 

'  The  affair  is  entirely  in  your  hands,  doctor,"  as 
sented  the  senor. 

The  Yankee  stepped  aboard  with  an  air  of  brisk 
business. 

"  I  cal'clate  ye  want  a  boat,"  he  began.  "  Let  ye 
have  this  'un  dirt  cheap." 

"  How  much?  "  I  demanded. 

"  One  seventy-five." 

"  Lumber  cordelled  by  keelboat  from  New  Or 
leans?  "  I  rallied  him  in  smiling  irony. 

He  looked  me  up  and  down  with  a  speculative 
eye. 

"  We-ell,  stranger,  I  might  knock  off  ten  dollars." 

"  You  mean  fifty." 

Again  he  surveyed  me;  then  appraised  the  rich 
broadcloth  of  my  companion. 

"  Be  ye  buyin'  fer  him?  "  he  queried. 

"  We  make  the  trip  together.  I  can  go  as  high  as 
a  hundred  and  twenty-five.  We  could  do  better  at 
Pittsburg,  but  are  willing  to  give  you  the  bargain,  to 
save  our  boots." 

He  looked  again  from  my  mud-smeared  buckskins 
to  the  senor's  fine  apparel,  and  smiled  sourly.  '  Ye  '11 
git  no  such  boat  at  the  price,  here  or  at  Pittsburg,  if 
ye  wait  till  the  next  freeze.  One  fifty  is  my  best 
offer.  Take  it  or  leave  it." 

"  Skiff,  kedge,  sweeps,  poles,  and  steer-oar  in 
cluded,"  I  stipulated. 


Ship  and  Crew  99 

He  assented,  with  well-feigned  reluctance :  "  As 
she  stands  —  lock,  stock,  and  barrel." 

I  handed  him  a  five-bit  piece.  "  Taken!  Yet  I  'd 
have  had  you  down  fifteen  more  if  we  were  not  in 
haste." 

"  I  'd  ha'  eased  your  high-nosed  don  of  a  round 
two  hundred,  my  lad,  had  he  done  his  own  dickering," 
muttered  he,  as,  at  a  word  from  me,  the  senor  drew 
out  a  bulging  purse  and  counted  into  my  palm  the 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in  American  gold. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE    HOSPITABLE   BLENNERHASSETS 

WHILE  our  sour-faced  boat-dealer  made  out 
his  bill  of  sale,  I  wrote  down  a  list  of  provi 
sions  and  furnishings  for  the  boat.  Upon  reading  this 
to  the  senor,  he  suggested  the  addition  of  some  articles 
which  I  would  have  regarded  as  needless  luxuries. 
Leaving  these  to  his  own  selection,  I  jogged  to  the 
store  of  a  gruff  old  German  ship-chandler,  one  of  the 
Hessians  against  whom  my  father  had  fought  at  Mon- 
mouth  and  Trenton,  and  whose  wife,  on  my  last  trip, 
I  had  been  so  fortunate  as  to  cure  of  a  quinsy. 

The  good  Frau  came  in  as  I  was  giving  my  list  into 
the  charge  of  her  husband,  and  would  not  take  a  re 
fusal  to  her  offer  of  hospitality.  Horse,  list,  and  all 
were  taken  from  me  before  I  could  defend  myself,  and 
I  am  not  sure  but  what  the  Frau  would  herself  have 
put  me  into  the  tub  she  made  ready  in  the  bedroom 
had  I  not  begged  for  a  dish  of  her  sauerkraut  and 
corned  beef. 

Cleansed  and  filled,  I  was  given  no  peace  until  she 
had  me  safe  between  clean,  dry  sheets  in  their  canopied 
f ourposter.  Having  then  been  given  sufficient  respite 
to  write  a  note  of  explanation  to  the  senor,  I  rolled 
over  and  sank  into  that  profound  slumber  of  which 
I  had  so  great  need. 


The  Hospitable  Blennerhassets    101 

I  awoke  to  find  the  sun  up  a  good  two  hours  and 
the  hospitable  couple  beaming  upon  me  as  brightly 
as  the  sunrays  which  shone  in  through  the  diamond 
panes  of  the  latticed  window.  The  Frau  held  up  my 
buckskins,  all  cleansed  and  dried  and  softened;  the 
man  showed  my  list,  with  every  item  checked  and 
double  checked,  and  a  receipt  from  the  party  to  whom 
I  had  agreed  to  deliver  my  last  mount. 

Between  them  I  soon  learned  that  the  flatboat  was 
well  stocked  for  the  voyage,  and  that  the  senor  had 
sent  word  he  was  about  to  go  aboard  with  his  party. 
This  last  would  have  forced  me  to  rise  and  accept  the 
good  wife's  intended  assistance  with  my  dressing,  had 
she  not  feared  that  I  should  rush  off  before  she  could 
serve  my  breakfast.  I  gulped  my  coffee  while  she  tied 
on  my  moccasins.  There  was  no  question  of  other 
garments  than  my  buckskins,  since  saddle  and  all  had 
been  stored  aboard  the  flat.  When  I  at  last  made  my 
escape,  it  was  with  a  hot  sausage  in  either  hand. 
These  German  delicacies  followed  the  rye  bread  and 
coffee  which  had  gone  before,  while  I  was  riding  to 
the  wharf  in  my  host's  rattling  ox-cart. 

Greatly  to  my  relief,  despite  the  plodding  pace  of 
our  beasts,  we  were  first  to  reach  the  boat.  I  had  time 
to  overhaul  the  craft  and  say  farewell  to  my  good 
German  friend.  As  he  drove  off,  gruff-voiced  but 
beaming,  the  well-remembered  cherry-wood  carriage 
came  churning  through  the  mire.  The  senor  had  re 
tained  the  right  to  use  it  for  this  last  service. 

I  was  at  the  door,  with  my  hand  on  the  knob,  as  the 


102  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

driver  swung  around.  The  senor  stepped  out,  with  a 
sonorous,  "  Buenos  dias,  doctor!  "  For  a  fraction  of 
a  moment  he  seemed  about  to  turn.  Then  he  stepped 
aside,  and  left  my  way  clear. 

My  lady  drew  out  an  arm  from  the  depths  of  her 
great  ermine  muff.  Her  plump,  bare  little  hand  lay 
in  my  brown  fingers  like  a  snowy  jasmine  bloom. 
There  was  mockery  in  the  depths  of  her  eyes,  but  the 
scarlet  lips  arched  in  a  not  unkindly  smile. 

"Buenos  dias,  senor!"  she  greeted  me. 

"It  is  truly  a  good  day  which  brings  me  sight 
again  of  Senorita  Vallois,"  I  replied.  "  May  this 
clear  sky  prove  true  augury  of  the  voyage  we  are  to 
share! " 

"  May  it  prove  true  augury  of  clear  sunshine  to 
follow!  These  weeping  skies  of  England  and  your 
Republic!  I  long  for  a  week  of  dry  weather."  She 
shivered  in  her  single-sleeved  French  cloak,  whose 
white  floss  net  and  tassels  added  little  to  the  warmth 
of  her  gauzy  muslins.  As  for  her  head,  even  her  light 
mantilla  would  have  been  more  suitable  to  the  weather 
than  the  jaunty  cap  of  velvet  and  tigerskin. 

"  You  are  cold!  "  I  said.  "  There  is  a  fire  aboard 
our  craft." 

I  drew  her  hand  beneath  my  arm  and  started  to  lead 
her  down  the  wharf  as  a  swarthy,  hard-featured 
woman  stepped  from  the  carriage.  The  senorita 
spoke  a  few  words  in  Spanish,  and  the  woman  turned 
to  help  the  driver  lift  down  the  chests  and  boxes  from 
behind,  under  the  direction  of  Senor  Vallois. 


The  Hospitable  Blennerhassets    103 

Handing  the  senorita  down  into  the  boat's  stern, 
I  led  her  into  the  living-room,  or  kitchen,  and  laid 
more  fagots  upon  the  fire  which  I  had  kindled.  In 
another  moment  I  had  her  seated  before  the  blaze, 
with  a  blanket  about  her  graceful  shoulders.  As  I 
knelt  to  place  a  stool  for  her  little  feet,  she  gazed  down 
with  the  velvety  eyes  which  had  looked  out  upon  me 
from  the  coach  window  in  Washington. 

"  Maria  purisima!  "  she  murmured.  "  There  are 
tales  of  gallant  knights  —  " 

"  Who  served  and  adored  their  ladies!  "  I  added. 

She  glanced  about  at  her  uncle,  who  was  entering 
through  the  middle  room. 

"Madre  de  los  Dolores!"  she  called.  "These 
physicians!  Pray,  reassure  him,  my  uncle.  He  is 
convinced  I  shall  suffer  a  chill." 

"  Not  after  the  precautions  I  have  taken,"  I  re 
joined  with  professional  gravity  as  I  rose.  u  The 
wonder  is  that  Senorita  Vallois  has  so  long  survived 
the  sudden  changes  of  our  seaboard  climate.  I  know 
little  of  temperatures  abroad,  but  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic  these  thin  Empire  gowns  are  sheer  murder." 

"  Granted,"  replied  the  senor.  "  Yet  as  a  physi 
cian  you  have  doubtless  long  since  learned  the  futility 
of  arguing  the  cut  or  material  of  a  gown  with  a 


woman." 


"  Only  too  well,  senor!  Fortunately  every  day  will 
now  carry  us  both  nearer  a  milder  climate  and  nearer 
the  Summer.  Your  chests  are  all  aboard?  " 

"  All.    And  yours,  senor?  " 


104  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  Mine  will  be  waiting  on  the  wharf  at  Pittsburg. 
We  will  put  in  for  it  as  we  drift  past." 

"  It  is  well,"  he  replied.  I  moved  toward  the  outer 
door.  "  A  moment,  if  you  please,  doctor.  We 
voyage  together  many  leagues.  Among  my  friends 
I  am  addressed  as  Don  Pedro." 

"  And  I  as  Alisanda,"  added  the  senorita  gayly. 
Her  uncle  raised  his  brows,  but  said  nothing.  She 
called  toward  the  inner  door,  "  Chita!  —  Chita!  " 

The  woman  appeared,  and  at  a  sign  from  her  mis 
tress,  crossed  toward  me. 

"  Dr.  Robinson,  you  have  not  before  met  my  faith 
ful  Chita,  because  she  was  ill  and  had  to  be  left  in 
Philadelphia  when  we  went  to  Washington.  Chita, 
this  is  he  of  whom  I  spoke." 

The  woman  courtesied  with  a  grace  which  belied 
her  stout  figure,  her  beady  eyes  riveted  upon  my  face. 
When  she  straightened  I  ventured  to  surmise  from 
the  half  smile  which  hovered  about  her  hard  mouth 
that  if  she  was  not  already  well-disposed  toward  me, 
she  was  at  least  not  an  enemy. 

"  It  is  well,"  said  Don  Pedro. 

"  All  well  —  and  ready  to  cast  off,"  I  added.  "  If 
the  senorita  —  " 

"  Alisanda!  "  she  corrected,  with  a  flashing  glance. 

"If  —  Alisanda  is  quite  warm,  she  may  wish  to 
witness  the  event." 

"  I  will  join  you  immediately,"  she  responded. 

With  that  I  led  Don  Pedro  out  to  the  steer-oar 
and  showed  him  how  to  hold  it  to  aid  in  bringing  us 


The  Hospitable  Blennerhassets    105 

about.  As  our  craft  lay  in  a  slow  eddy,  I  had  no 
difficulty  in  casting  off.  The  townfolk  and  shipyard 
workers  were  far  too  busy  with  the  rush  of  the  Spring 
shipping  to  give  heed  to  so  common  an  event  as  the 
departure  of  a  flat.  But  it  was  enough  to  call  out  all 
my  skill  and  strength  that  I  thrust  off  under  the  eyes 
of  Alisanda. 

A  side  shove  from  the  prow,  and  a  rear  thrust  from 
the  inner  corner  of  the  stern  as  the  prow  swung  out, 
cleared  us  from  the  wharf  and  sent  us  gliding  out 
aslant  the  eddy.  The  river  was  in  such  full  flood  that 
the  bottom,  even  alongside  the  wharf,  was  beyond 
poling  depth.  But  I  called  Don  Pedro  to  aid  me 
with  the  sweeps,  and  a  few  long  strokes  carried  us  out 
into  the  swirling  current  of  midstream. 

Our  voyage  had  begun.  We  were  afloat  in  the 
grasp  of  the  river,  and  for  the  time  need  only  to  fold 
our  arms  and  gaze  at  the  changing  vistas  of  forest- 
clad  hills  on  either  bank,  past  which  the  current  swept 
us  along  at  more  than  post  speed. 

Before  the  noon  meal  we  had  passed  in  turn  the 
important  shipping  town  of  McKeesport,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Youghiogheny,  and  the  hillside  ravine 
near  Turtle  Creek,  where,  within  a  gunshot  of  the 
river  bank,  the  British  General  Braddock  met  with 
his  disastrous  defeat  at  the  hands  of  the  French  and 
Indians,  and  where  he  whose  life  was  to  prove  so  pre 
cious  to  his  countrymen  came  so  near  to  losing  it  be 
neath  the  edge  of  the  tomahawk. 

In  the  midst  of  our  meal  we  came  so  close  under  the 


106  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

heights  of  Pittsburg  that  I  had  need  to  leave  the  table 
to  take  advantage  of  a  slant  in  the  current  which 
would  bring  us  shoreward.  Before  the  others  joined 
me,  I  had  the  boat  fast  alongside  the  warehouse  wharf 
where  I  hoped  to  find  the  chest  of  clothes  I  had  sent 
on  from  Washington.  My  expectations  were  not  of 
the  firmest,  for  I  knew  the  Cumberland  Pike  to  be 
quite  as  miry  as  the  Philadelphia  road.  It  had  been, 
indeed,  a  close  shave,  for  on  inquiring  of  the  ware 
house  keeper,  I  learned  that  my  box  had  come  down 
from  Redstone  by  skiff  only  the  previous  evening. 

We  had  no  letters  to  deliver  in  Pittsburg,  and  no 
desire  either  to  wade  the  unpaved  streets  or  to  linger 
beneath  a  sky  whose  shower  of  soot  bore  out  only  too 
well  the  boast  of  the  townsfolk  that  good  coal  could 
be  bought  in  their  streets  at  five  cents  a  bushel.  For 
my  part,  I  would  prefer  to  pay  more  for  wood  fires, 
and  escape  the  smearing  of  house  and  garments  with 
lampblack.  However,  the  residents  may  consider  this 
inconvenience  offset  by  their  numerous  social  and  cul 
tural  advantages,  which  are  unequalled  among  all  our 
trans- Alleghany  towns,  unless  it  may  be  at  Lexington 
or  Cincinnati. 

As  we  put  off  again  into  the  stream,  I  pointed  out 
the  site  of  Fort  Pitt,  built  by  the  British  to  replace 
the  French  Fort  Duquesne.  But  a  storm  cloud  drove 
down  over  the  Pittsburg  hills,  and  Alisanda  hastened 
to  withdraw  with  her  uncle  into  the  cabin  to  escape 
the  April  rain  which  soon  poured  upon  us  in  torrents. 
It  was  not,  as  I  had  hoped,  a  mere  squall.  With  the 


The  Hospitable  Blennerhassets    107 

passing  of  the  first  roaring  wind  gusts  that  rocked  our 
heavy  craft,  the  rain  settled  into  a  steady  drizzle, 
which  obscured  river  and  banks  for  the  rest  of  the 
afternoon,  and  sheeted  us  in  like  a  black  pall  through 
out  the  night. 

With  the  nightfall,  trusting  to  the  height  of  the 
flood  to  carry  us  over  all  shoals  and  rocks,  I  made  no 
attempt  to  effect  a  landing  or  to  tie  up  to  the  half- 
submerged  willows  along  the  bank.  We  had  wood 
enough  aboard  to  last  for  three  days  or  more,  and  our 
fireplace,  with  its  pots  and  ranger,  saved  the  necessity 
of  a  shore  camp  to  prepare  food. 

As  there  was  no  call  for  Don  Pedro  to  suffer  a  need 
less  wetting,  I  argued  that  I  could  not  trust  him  on 
watch  so  dark  a  night,  —  which  was  no  more  than 
the  truth  of  the  matter.  My  supper  was  brought  to 
me  in  the  prow  by  Chita,  and  her  peppery  stew  was 
doubly  welcome  after  my  afternoon's  drenching.  She 
carried  back  with  her  instructions  to  obtain  one  of  my 
dry  suits  from  Don  Pedro  and  take  it  through  to  the 
kitchen.  About  midnight,  the  boat  chancing  to  swing 
about  stern  foremost  in  the  current,  I  left  my  watch 
long  enough  to  shift  into  dry  garments  before  a  crack 
ling  fire. 

With  the  first  gray  glimmer  of  dawn  through  the 
breaking  rain  clouds,  Don  Pedro  came  to  take  my 
post,  and  Chita  slipped  out  in  her  nightshift  to  set  on 
her  coffee  pot.  By  the  time  I  had  breakfasted,  the  sun 
had  dispelled  the  mists,  and  I  saw  that  we  were  already 
in  the  Long  Reach,  having  passed  during  the  night 


108  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

by  Steubenville  and  Wheeling.  It  was  a  run  possible 
only  at  the  height  of  the  Spring  fresh. 

Upon  my  inquiry,  Don  Pedro  informed  me  that  he 
did  not  wish  to  stop  at  Marietta,  that  prim  New  Eng 
land  village  planted  by  Rufus  Putnam  and  his  fellow 
Yankees  on  the  site  of  Old  Wyandot  Town.  He 
had,  however,  a  letter  to  deliver  to  Mr.  Harmon 
Blennerhasset,  owner  of  an  island  some  fourteen  or 
fifteen  miles  below  Marietta.  So,  having  made  a 
rough  calculation  of  the  speed  of  the  current,  I  went 
in  to  my  bunk,  after  explaining  that  they  need  not 
waken  me  before  midday,  unless  the  boat  tended  to 
leave  the  current. 

Sharp  upon  the  noon  hour  I  was  roused  by  the 
don,  and  informed  that  we  had  already  passed  Mari 
etta,  some  five  miles  back.  His  description  of  the 
Muskingum  River  and  the  block  houses  and  other 
buildings  of  the  town  would  have  convinced  me  that 
it  was  indeed  Marietta,  had  I  not  known  that  it  was 
the  only  settlement  of  the  size  between  Wheeling  and 
Gallipolis.  What  was  more,  I  recognized  the  greater 
width  of  the  river  bottoms,  which  were  now  flooded  to 
the  higher  levels,  the  many  islands  which  divided  the 
current,  and  the  lowness  of  the  densely  wooded  hills. 

But  having,  as  I  felt  sure,  something  over  an  hour 
to  wait  before  sighting  Mr.  Blennerhasset's  well- 
known  island,  I  made  my  toilet,  and  leaving  Don 
Pedro  at  the  steer-oar,  indulged  myself  in  the  great 
pleasure  of  sitting  down  at  table  with  the  senorita. 
Either  because  of  her  determination  to  live  up  to  the 


The  Hospitable  Blennerhassets     109 

customs  of  the  country,  or  owing  to  my  watch  in  the 
rain,  —  which  any  riverman  would  have  taken  as  a 
matter  of  course,  —  she  was  most  friendly  and  gra 
cious  in  her  manner,  greeting  me  with  a  smile  and 
giving  me  her  hand  to  salute.  Not  content  with  this, 
she  saw  to  it  that  Chita  served  me  with  particular  at 
tention,  and  herself  pressed  food  and  drink  upon  me. 

Only  one  who  has  lived  among  the  Spanish  people 
can  realize  what  a  privilege  it  was  to  be  thus  received 
into  the  intimate  society  of  my  travelling  companions. 
We  conversed  with  cousinly  gaiety  and  freedom  on 
all  subjects  which  came  to  mind,  from  the  ambition 
of  the  great  Corsican  to  the  latest  fashionable  ditties, 
and  Alisanda  filled  me  with  delightful  anticipations 
by  stating  that  amongst  her  baggage  was  a  guitar, 
which  she  and  Don  Pedro  were  not  unskilled  in 
fingering. 

After  the  dessert  of  sweets,  or  dulces,  to  use  the 
Spanish  term,  I  went  out  to  relieve  Don  Pedro  at  the 
steer-oar  and  to  inquire  whether  he  wished  to  stop 
over  at  the  island.  He  replied  that  it  might  be  neces 
sary  to  confer  at  some  length  with  Mr.  Blennerhasset. 

A  half-hour  later  we  were  sheering  our  craft  toward 
the  Virginia  bank,  to  make  the  wharf  which  faced 
the  Ohio  shore,  near  the  upper  end  of  Blennerhasset 
Island.  As  the  channel  which  separated  the  island 
from  Virginia  was  scarcely  a  stone's-throw  across,  our 
course  brought  us  well  to  the  left  of  the  river's  centre. 
With  the  ready  aid  of  Don  Pedro  at  the  steer-oar,  I 
managed,  between  sculling  and  poling,  to  bring  the 


110  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

flat  alongside  the  wharf.  Before  I  could  leap  out,  a 
negro  ran  down  the  bank  and  made  fast  the  line  tossed 
him  from  the  stern  by  Chita. 

Another  slave  who  had  sighted  us  from  the  crest 
of  the  bank  turned  and  ran  with  the  news  of  our  land 
ing,  so  that  before  we  could  straighten  our  garments 
and  step  ashore,  Mr.  Blennerhasset  himself  came  hast 
ening  down  the  bank  to  welcome  us.  Our  visit  had 
been  unheralded,  and,  so  far  as  he  knew  at  the  mo 
ment,  we  were  no  more  than  chance  strangers.  But 
it  was  enough  for  this  cultured,  unworldly  Irish 
gentleman  that  persons  of  quality  had  stopped  at  his 
gate. 

Sefior  Vallois  introduced  Alisanda  and  myself  with 
all  the  stateliness  of  a  Spanish  hidalgo,  and  followed 
by  delivering  over  the  letter  from  Colonel  Burr.  With 
no  more  than  a  glance  at  the  address,  Mr.  Blenner 
hasset  thrust  the  letter  into  his  pocket,  and  pressed 
us  to  accompany  him  at  once  to  his  house,  where,  he 
said,  Mrs.  Blennerhasset  would  be  anxiously  awaiting 
her  guests. 

Such  warmth  of  hospitality  would  have  melted  even 
a  reluctant  visitor,  and  we  were  far  from  unwilling 
to  view  the  famed  beauties  of  the  place.  My  one 
regret  was  that  I  could  not  claim  the  privilege  of  es 
corting  the  senorita.  Don  Pedro  and  I  ascended  the 
bank  behind  the  others,  Chita  remaining  aboard  the 
boat. 

Entering  through  the  handsome  stone-columned 
gateway  at  the  top  of  the  bank,  we  passed  between  the 


The  Hospitable  Blennerhassets     111 

shrubbery  and  a  meadow,  along  a  gravelled  walk,  for 
somewhat  over  a  hundred  paces,  to  the  front  of  the 
mansion.  The  facade  was  remarkable  for  the  semi 
circular  shape  of  the  pillared  porticos  which  curved 
forward  from  each  front  corner  of  the  main  body  of 
the  house.  Though  built  of  wood,  the  handsome  pro 
portions  and  two  stories  of  the  mansion  lent  to  it 
an  air  of  distinction  rarely  to  be  found  west  of  the 
mountains. 

Mr.  Blennerhasset  bowed  us  into  a  small  front 
parlor,  where  we  found  his  comely  and  charming  wife 
waiting  to  receive  us,  in  the  company  of  their  two 
little  sons.  After  we  had  been  welcomed  by  this 
pleasant  lady  no  less  cordially  than  by  her  husband, 
Don  Pedro  stated  that  there  might  be  matters  of 
mutual  interest  to  discuss  when  our  host  had  read  his 
letter. 

At  this  Mrs.  Blennerhasset  suggested  that  the 
gentlemen  should  be  left  to  their  privacy,  and  Don 
Pedro  invited  me  to  share  in  the  conference.  But 
I  explained  that  I  did  not  consider  myself  at  liberty 
to  do  so,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  I  was  not  yet  irrevo 
cably  committed  to  the  projects  of  Mr.  Burr.  Mrs. 
Blennerhasset  at  once  invited  me  to  join  with  her  and 
Alisanda  in  an  inspection  of  the  mansion. 

We  entered  first  a  dining-room  of  ample  propor 
tions,  where  our  hostess  gave  the  little  boys  into  the 
charge  of  their  nurse.  The  apartment  was  furnished 
with  a  richness  and  taste  which  compelled  a  look  of 
surprise  even  from  the  senorita.  We  were  soon  to 


112  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

learn  that  the  mansion  was  furnished  throughout  in 
the  same  lavish  style. 

What  most  interested  me  at  the  time  was  Mr.  Blen- 
nerhasset's  scientific  workroom  in  the  rear  of  a  second 
parlor  which  led  off  behind  from  the  dining-room. 
Here  it  was  our  host  conducted  his  experiments  in 
chemistry  and  physics,  and  here  he  had  properly  ar 
ranged  a  fair-sized  apothecary's  stock.  Upon  my  re 
marking  that  I  wished  to  purchase  a  quantity  of 
Peruvian  bark  and  calomel,  —  my  stock  of  which,  in 
my  haste,  I  had  neglected  to  replenish  before  leaving 
Washington,  —  the  lady  immediately  requested  me  to 
measure  out  the  quantity  I  desired,  and  absolutely 
refused  any  compensation. 

We  next  visited  the  library  at  the  end  of  one  of  the 
curved  porticos.  Here,  much  against  my  desire,  I 
was  given  permission  to  remain  while  the  ladies  vis 
ited  the  kitchens  in  the  other  wing. 

Tactfully  as  I  was  dismissed,  the  shaft  rankled  none 
the  less  sorely.  Yet  happening  to  open  a  choice  vol 
ume  of  European  travels,  I  so  lost  myself  in  the 
printed  pages  that  the  appearance  of  my  host  some 
two  hours  later  came  as  a  surprise. 

He  explained  that  arrangements  had  been  made 
for  our  party  to  join  them  at  dinner,  and  would  not 
take  a  refusal  from  me.  A  servant  had  already  been 
sent  aboard  the  boat,  that  Chita  might  attend  on  her 
mistress.  The  man  had  orders  to  remain  until  morn 
ing,  should  I,  following  the  example  of  Senor  Vallois 
and  his  niece,  agree  to  lie  the  night  in  the  house,  tin- 


The  Hospitable  Blennerhassets    113 

willing  to  tax  their  hospitality  so  far,  I  excused  myself 
from  this  last,  on  the  plea  of  my  duties  as  boat  cap 
tain,  but  before  leaving  I  gladly  accepted  his  invita 
tion  to  return  and  join  them  at  dinner. 

In  due  time  I  returned,  and  I  trust  that  my  appear 
ance  did  full  credit  to  my  country.  Enough  said  that 
my  hat,  shoes,  breeches  and  waistcoat  were  of  the 
latest  mode,  that  my  coatcuffs  extended  to  my  ringer 
tips,  that  my  shirtfrill  was  like  a  snowy  waterfall,  and 
that  my  coatfront  was  padded  to  the  fulness  of  a 
swelling  bullfrog.  As  for  my  luckless  throat,  it  was 
so  swathed  about  with  its  bandages  of  cambric  that 
my  chin  had  a  most  supercilious  elevation,  and  to  look 
about  I  must  first  turn  my  body.  The  neck  was  all 
but  immovable. 

This  martyrdom  was,  however,  small  price  to  pay 
for  my  evening.  Of  all  costumes  calculated  to  reveal 
and  enhance  the  lovelinesses  of  women,  the  Empire 
modes  are  by  far  the  foremost.  Indeed,  such  is  the 
thinness  of  gauzy  materials  and  the  scantness  of 
breadth  required,  that,  —  if  I  may  venture  my  opin 
ion  not  alone  as  a  physician  but  as  a  gentleman,  — 
the  flimsy,  graceful  costumes,  though  to  be  praised 
for  the  absence  of  injurious  stays,  are  too  apt  to  over 
expose  the  forms  of  the  fair  sex. 

Yet  a  modest  woman,  by  stopping  short  of  the  ut 
most  extremes  of  fashion,  and  no  less  by  comporting 
herself  with  dignity  and  decorum,  can  suggest 
thoughts  no  less  elevating  than  enravishing  through 
the  graces  of  this  mode.  With  this  by  way  of  guide 

8 


114          A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

to  my  meaning,  I  shall  not  be  misunderstood  when 
I  speak  of  my  rapture  over  the  swell  of  my  lady's 
firm  white  bosom  and  the  exquisite  curves  of  her 
lissome  young  body  beneath  the  clinging  sarsenet  of 
her  low-cut  waist  and  narrow  skirt.  I  looked  and 
adored  as  the  artist  adores  the  perfect  lines  of  a  mas 
terpiece.  Yet  with  my  adoration  there  flamed  a  fire 
of  passion  of  so  white  a  heat  that  it  burned  away  all 
dross  of  base  imaginings.  « 

I  say  nothing  of  our  hostess,  —  not  that  she  lacked 
in  beauty  or  charm;  but  who  looks  at  the  moon  when 
the  sun  is  in  the  sky? 

The  dinner  did  not  disappoint  the  expectations 
roused  by  the  lavish  display  of  the  household ;  though 
I  cannot  say  that  Mr.  Blennerhasset's  wines  com 
pared  well  with  those  of  President  Jefferson,  unless 
it  might  be  the  Madeira. 

Upon  the  withdrawal  of  the  ladies,  Mrs.  Blenner- 
hasset  urged  me  so  cordially  to  join  them  soon,  and 
Alisanda  seconded  the  invitation  with  so  sweet  a  smile, 
that  I  did  not  linger  at  table  above  half  an  hour.  My 
going  was  hastened  by  the  conjecture  that  our  host 
and  Don  Pedro  might  wish  to  resume  their  confer 
ence.  That  I  was  not  mistaken  in  this  was  evidenced 
by  the  fact  that  they  did  not  follow  me  for  two  hours 
or  more. 

In  the  meantime  I  had  been  led  up  a  spacious  stair 
way  to  the  drawing-room,  directly  above  where  we 
had  dined.  The  room  was  notable  for  the  stucco  work 
of  the  rounded  cornices  and  ceiling,  and  the  harmoni- 


The  Hospitable  Blennerhassets    115 

ous  tones  of  the  wall-hangings,  of  which  those  above 
the  chair  rail  were  green,  bordered  with  gold,  and 
those  below  reddish  gray. 

My  entrance  found  the  ladies  seated  together  at  a 
large  forte  piano,  in  the  execution  of  a  duet  which 
gave  full  display  alike  to  their  accomplished  skill  and 
to  the  genius  of  the  composer,  the  noted  German 
musician  Beethoven.  After  the  duet,  our  hostess  fa 
vored  us  with  a  ballad,  and  Alisanda  no  less  readily 
followed  with  a  Castilian  song  in  the  Spanish.  Her 
voice,  even  better  trained  than  Mrs.  Blennerhasset's 
fine  high  soprano,  was  a  liquid  contralto  that  had  in  it 
the  murmur  of  sparkling  waters,  the  sweetness  of 
silver  bells,  and  the  sadness  of  tears.  I  was  affected 
almost  beyond  self-control,  and  it  was  as  much  this 
as  the  disability  from  my  high  cravat  which  forced 
me  to  decline  my  turn. 

At  my  request,  the  ladies  returned  to  another  round 
of  duet  and  song,  and  followed  with  the  reverse,  — 
playing  solos  and  singing  a  duet.  In  the  end  they 
persuaded  me  to  join  them  in  a  trio,  and  afterwards 
were  so  gracious  as  to  compliment  me  on  my  baritone. 

On  the  whole,  it  was  the  most  heavenly  evening  I 
had  ever  known,  and  when,  upon  the  appearance  of 
the  other  gentlemen,  I  begged  my  leave  of  our  hostess, 
it  was  to  dance  my  way  down  to  the  boat  on  winged 
feet.  Such  a  feast  of  divine  music  and  diviner  beauty 
seldom  falls  to  the  lot  of  mere  mortals. 


CHAPTER    IX 

MY   INDIAN    TALE 

DAWN  found  me  clad  in  my  buckskins,  ready 
for  the  start.  All  my  articles  of  finery  lay 
again  in  their  snug  retreat,  and  with  those  nightmares 
of  beaudom  disposed  of  in  a  way  to  give  me  most 
comfort,  I  was  once  more  at  my  ease.  Of  all  costumes 
suitable  to  action,  there  is  none  to  equal  our  old-time 
forest  ranger's  dress  of  fur  cap,  buckskin  shirt,  thigh 
leggings,  and  good  elk  or  buffalo  moccasins. 

To  my  surprise,  the  Spanish  woman  came  aboard 
while  I  was  toasting  my  bacon,  with  word  that  her 
mistress  and  Don  Pedro  would  follow  as  soon  as  they 
had  risen  from  the  breakfast  table.  Alisanda  had  sent 
her  down  to  prepare  food  for  me.  The  announcement 
of  this  brought  a  glow  to  my  face  which  I  saw  did 
not  pass  unnoticed  by  the  woman.  But  she  masked 
all  expression  under  her  hard  stolidity,  and  when  I 
declined  her  services,  set  about  arranging  her  mis 
tress's  evening  attire  and  returning  it  to  its  box. 

Shortly  afterwards  Mr.  Blennerhasset  and  his  wife 
made  their  appearance,  escorting  my  fellow  travellers 
to  the  river  bank  and  down  to  the  boat  itself.  I  hast 
ened  to  add  my  adieus  to  the  others,  and  the  tactful 
couple,  seeing  that  I  was  impatient  to  be  under  way, 


We  swung  out  into  the  current  and  drifted  swiftly  away" 


My  Indian  Tale  117 

cut  short  what  had  threatened  to  be  a  protracted 
parting. 

With  repeated  last  calls  of  farewell  and  wavings  of 
hat  and  handkerchief,  we  swung  out  into  the  current 
and  drifted  swiftly  away  from  our  over-hospitable 
host  and  hostess.  A  few  minutes  carried  us  below 
the  cultivated  upper  portion  of  the  island,  and  I  no 
ticed  Don  Pedro  eying  the  wooded  remainder  with 
a  peculiar  intentness.  Afterwards  I  was  told  that 
certain  of  the  huge  cypresses  shadowed  a  bayou,  in 
which  at  the  time  we  passed  there  were  already  being 
collected  boats  and  munitions  for  the  flotilla  that  was 
to  form  the  nucleus  of  Colonel  Burr's  ill-starred 
expedition. 

Of  this  and  the  nefarious  plans  since  charged  to  that 
great  dreamer,  I  then  had  not  the  remotest  suspicion, 
and  soon  turned  my  attention  from  the  pondering 
senor. 

Scattered  up  and  down  the  midchannel  for  three 
miles  or  more  was  a  string  of  barges,  flats,  and  keel- 
boats,  laden  with  flour,  lumber,  and  other  up-river 
products,  for  the  market  at  New  Orleans.  Like 
ourselves,  they  were  coming  down  from  the  higher 
shipping-ports  with  the  Spring  fresh. 

At  my  request,  Alisanda  kept  within  the  house, 
until,  by  a  vigorous  bit  of  sculling,  I  had  sent  our  craft 
beyond  earshot  of  the  nearest  of  these  barges.  The 
huge,  clumsy  craft,  which  must  have  been  upwards  of 
four  hundred  tons  burden,  was  manned  by  the  usual 
crew  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  rowdy,  drunken  river- 


118  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

men,  whose  ribaldry  and  rude  jests  were  unfitted  for 
the  ears  of  a  gentlewoman. 

By  adroit  steering  and  an  occasional  return  to  my 
sculling,  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  keep  our  dis 
tance  from  these  other  boats,  and  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  day  I  had  the  pleasure  of  pointing  out  to  Ali- 
sanda  the  beauties  of  the  river  scenery.  Rightful  in 
fact,  and  most  appropriate  in  truth,  is  the  interpreta 
tion  which  tells  us  that  "  Ohio  "  means  "  the  beautiful 


river." 


A  day  of  clear,  warm  sunshine,  marred  by  only  one 
shower,  gave  us  our  first  chance  to  share  the  ever- 
shifting  views  of  headlands  and  rolling,  wooded  hills. 
Though  the  forest  was  as  yet  only  half  in  leaf,  and 
the  height  of  the  flood  covered  all  other  than  the 
highest  of  the  bottoms,  the  nature  of  the  scene  was 
an  unending  wonder  to  my  companions,  who  in  turn 
compared  it  with  the  sterile  mountains  of  Old  Spain 
and  the  deserts  of  New  Spain.  They  could  not  liken 
it  to  the  tamed  woodlands  of  England;  for,  notwith 
standing  a  generation  of  settlement,  with  the  river 
long  since  the  main  artery  of  a  great  commerce,  these 
banks  were  as  yet  in  many  places  unbroken  wilder 
ness,  the  abode  of  elk  and  deer  and  wolf,  of  tigerish 
panther  and  lumbering  bear. 

High  above  us  soared  eagles  and  turkey  buzzards, 
spying  for  carrion  and  live  prey,  each  according  to  his 
nature,  as  they  had  soared  and  spied  in  the  late  six 
ties  and  early  seventies,  when  Gist  and  Boone  and 
the  great  Washington  first  threaded  the  untraced  wil- 


My  Indian  Tale  119 

derness  and  skimmed  downstream  in  their  bark  canoes 
to  the  dark  and  bloody  hunting-grounds  of  the  hostile 
tribes.  Since  then  what  vast  changes  had  come  over 
the  land!  What  thousands  of  homesteads  hewn  out 
of  the  gloomy  depths  of  beech  and  oak,  walnut  and 
maple  forest!  What  scores  of  settlements  and  towns, 
ranging  in  size  up  to  Cincinnati,  with  its  three  hun 
dred  and  more  houses,  many  of  brick  and  stone, 
its  fifteen  hundred  whites  and  thousand  slaves,  its 
genteel  coaches  and  chariots,  and  its  educational 
institutions ! 

Yet,  aside  from  the  slaughtered  buffalo  and  the 
backward-driven  savage,  how  small  the  change  in  the 
forest  life!  Along  the  rocky  banks  the  deadly  rattle 
snake  and  copperhead  still  lay  coiled  in  wait;  the 
deer  came  timidly  down  to  the  water  along  old  game 
traces  where  the  panther  still  lurked;  and  flocks  of 
screaming,  chattering  paroquets  still  flew  up  river 
from  the  southwest,  their  emerald  plumage  contrast 
ing  with  the  bright  hues  of  the  redbirds  and  wood 
peckers,  the  orioles  and  kingfishers. 

The  following  day,  below  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto 
River,  we  had  view  of  one  of  the  strangest  sights  of 
the  West,  —  a  flight  of  passenger  pigeons.  The  flock 
passed  upstream  above  the  left  shore  in  a  dense  col 
umn  and  with  a  tremendous  roaring  sound  of  their 
millions  of  wings.  Though  we  were  going  in  a  con 
trary  direction,  hours  passed  before  we  saw  the  last 
stragglers  of  their  amazing  multitude,  and  this  de 
spite  the  fact  that  they  are  among  the  swiftest  of 


120  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

birds.  While  making  a  southward  bend  of  the  stream, 
we  came  beneath  them,  the  lowermost  flying  so  near 
overhead  that  I  was  able  to  kill  a  number  simply  by 
flinging  fagots  among  them.  As  their  flesh,  though 
dark,  is  choice  eating,  we  enjoyed  a  most  savory  pie 
at  the  evening  meal. 

During  the  night  the  boat  caught  me  nodding  and 
gave  itself  into  the  grasp  of  an  eddy,  which  held  it 
fast  for  two  hours  or  more.  My  regret  over  the  de 
lay  was  short-lived,  since  at  dawn  I  made  the  wel 
come  discovery  that  it  had  caused  us  to  part  company 
with  the  last  of  the  cargo  flotilla.  The  rivermen  were 
well  supplied  with  skiffs,  and  as  some  of  them  are 
not  above  theft  and  even  outright  piracy,  I  had  spent 
most  of  these  two  nights  in  vigilant  watch,  with  my 
rifle  and  Don  Pedro's  pistols  charged  and  primed 
against  a  night  attack. 

Less  welcome  than  the  absence  of  such  consorts 
was  the  cold  rain  which  set  in  before  dawn  and  lasted 
well  along  toward  noon,  with  now  and  then  a  slashing 
drive  of  sleet.  I  spent  the  dreary  hours  fast  asleep  in 
my  bunk,  for  Don  Pedro  insisted  upon  his  right  to 
share  the  hardships  of  our  voyage. 

When  I  turned  out,  the  sun  had  burst  through,  and 
the  leaden  clouds  were  rolling  away  to  the  eastward. 
My  first  act  was  to  sweep  the  Ohio  shore  with  an 
anxious  glance.  The  swiftly  changing  vistas  of  wind 
ing  river  and  pleasant  hills  that  undulated  beneath 
their  cloak  of  budding  green,  told  me  that  we  had 
entered  upon  the  run  of  the  Great  Bend.  By  good 


My  Indian  Tale  121 

fortune,  I  was  just  in  time  to  sight  the  well- 
remembered  hills  of  my  childhood  home.  Another 
twist  of  the  channel  brought  us  in  view  of  the  Little 
Miami. 

Cap  in  hand,  I  stepped  to  the  side  of  the  flat,  and 
stood  quiet  and  apart,  gazing  at  the  rough,  white  stone 
that  rose  clear  against  the  sky-line  on  the  first  crest 
below  the  stream's  mouth.  What  memories  of  child 
hood  rushed  in  upon  me!  what  bitterness  and  grief! 

At  last  the  envious  river  swept  us  around  a  mask 
ing  hill.  I  turned  slowly  about,  with  all  my  heavi 
ness  plainly  written  in  my  look.  Less  than  three 
paces  behind  me  stood  the  senorita,  her  dark  eyes 
fixed  upon  me  with  a  soft  pity  far  different  from 
their  usual  mockery. 

"  You  grieve!  "  she  murmured. 

"  It  is  the  grave  of  my  mother." 

Don  Pedro  dropped  the  handle  of  the  steer-oar  and 
turned  to  me  with  a  courtesy  that  went  far  deeper 
than  outer  form.  "Your  mother?  May  the  Virgin 
bless  her! " 

Alisanda  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  her  lips 
moved  in  quick  prayer:  "  Ave  Maria  purisima- 

After  a  little  the  don  ventured  a  word  of  consola 
tion  :  "  It  is  a  beautiful  place  for  a  tomb,  —  serene 
and  grand  on  its  solitary  hillcrest.  When  my  own 
time  comes,  may  I  rest  as  well!  " 

Serene!  —  beautiful!  The  words  roused  me  from 
my  unmanly  weakness. 

"You  do  not  know!"  I  cried.     "Her  grave  was 


122  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

dug  among  the  ashes  of  our  home.  She  was  mur 
dered  by  the  Shawnees." 

4  You  speak  of  the  Indian  savages?"  murmured 
Alisanda.  "Is  it  so  long  ago  as  that? " 

"  In  my  boyhood  —  in  ninety-one  —  the  Spring 
before  St.  Glair's  terrible  defeat.  The  northern 
tribes  raided  the  settlements  from  above  Pittsburg  to 
the  lower  Kentucky,  with  a  fury  before  unknown. 
The  ferocious  braves  crept  by  night  through  the  very 
streets  of  Cincinnati  and  under  the  walls  of  Fort 
Washington.  Our  home,  outlying  yonder  on  the 
Little  Miami,  was  one  of  the  first  struck.  The  mem 
ory  of  that  morning  is  burned  deep  into  my  brain. 
My  father  had  gone  into  town  to  barter  some  skins 
for  flour,  and  my  mother  was  part  way  down  the  hill 
side,  ploughing  for  corn.  I  had  gone  up  to  the  cabin 
to  fetch  a  jug  of  cider,  and  was  half-way  back,  when 
a  score  of  Shawnees  in  their  black  war  paint  leaped 
from  the  ravine  and  set  upon  my  mother. 

"  I  ran  to  help  her,  but  she,  striking  bravely  at  the 
treacherous  savages  with  the  ox-goad,  screamed  to 
me  to  fly  for  the  guns.  I  turned  as  she  fell  under 
the  stroke  of  a  tomahawk.  The  murderers  leaped 
after  me,  yelling  and  firing.  Rifle  balls  and  arrows 
whistled  about  me,  some  piercing  my  shirt.  But  I 
gained  the  cabin  unhurt.  On  the  pegs  beside  the 
door  lay  my  father's  rifle  and  his  old  Queen  Anne 
musket  of  the  Revolution,  which  I  had  that  morning 
charged  half  to  the  muzzle  with  swanshot  in  prepara 
tion  for  a  bear  which  had  been  stealing  our  porkers. 


My  Indian  Tale  123 

"  Barring  the  door  with  one  hand,  I  caught  down 
the  musket  with  the  other,  and  fired  through  the 
nearest  loophole.  My  pursuers  were  coming  on 
fairly  in  a  body,  and  the  distance  was  such  that  the 
swanshot  scattered  just  enough  to  cover  the  fore 
most  warriors.  One  fell  dead  and  three  more 
were  wounded.  In  a  twinkling  all  others  than  the 
one  killed  leaped  to  either  side  and  checked  their 
rush. 

"  But  their  chief  came  bounding  up  from  the  rear 
through  their  midst,  flourishing  his  bloody  tomahawk 
and  yelling  to  them  to  come  on.  Young  as  I  was,  if 
given  a  support  for  the  heavy  barrel,  I  could  handle 
my  father's  rifle  as  well  as  he  himself.  The  chief 
fell  within  twenty  paces  of  the  door,  with  the  hole  of 
the  rifle  ball  between  his  glaring  eyes.  At  this,  fear 
ful  that  they  had  run  upon  a  trap,  the  red  warriors 
ran  dodging  and  side-leaping  to  the  nearest  brush, 
while  I  caught  up  a  knife  and  rushed  out  to  scalp 
the  chief  —  " 

"  Por  Dios! "  cried  Don  Pedro.  "  You  ran  out!  — 
you  took  the  scalp  of  the  chief  under  the  eyes  of  his 
followers? " 

"  My  mother's  scalp  hung  at  his  belt.  I  was  mad 
with  fury.  I  would  have  struck  the  murderer  even 
had  the  others  already  turned." 

:<  They  did  turn?  "  asked  Alisanda,  her  eyes  widen 
ing  with  the  horror  of  the  vision  she  pictured. 

"  They  turned  as  I  burst  from  the  cabin.  I  was 
surrounded  —  seized  fast  —  but  not  before  I  had 


124  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

torn  off  the  scalp  of  their  chief  and  shaken  it  in  their 
painted  faces!"  My  eyes  flamed  at  the  memory  of 
that  fierce  vengeance. 

ff  Madre  de  Dios!"  breathed  the  Spaniard  — 
'  You  stung  them  to  wildest  fury!  " 

"  I  sought  to  make  them  strike  me  down.  Bet 
ter  death  under  the  tomahawk  than  the  slow  agony  of 
torture  at  the  stake..  What  greater  shame  to  them 
than  for  a  boy  of  twelve  to  kill  two  of  their  most 
famous  warriors,  —  to  taunt  them  with  the  bloody 
scalp  of  their  chief?  " 

"Yet  they  spared  you!"  whispered  Alisanda,  her 
eyes  fixed  upon  my  flushed  face. 

"  For  the  torture.  When  they  took  me  north  to 
the  Shawnee  towns,  I  was  made  to  run  the  gantlet. 
Being  quick-footed  and  nimble,  I  avoided  most  of  the 
heavier  blows  and  midway  of  the  line  dodged  out 
sideways,  tripping  up  the  old  squaw  who  sought  to 
stop  me.  Before  the  rabble  could  overtake  me,  I  had 
set  myself  in  the  midst  of  the  chiefs  and  foremost 
warriors  of  the  village,  whose  dignity  had  prevented 
them  from  joining  in  the  lesser  torture. 

"  My  craft  in  tripping  the  squaw  and  avoiding  the 
greater  number  of  my  tormentors  won  me  the  pro 
tection  of  the  chiefs,  and  while  they  waved  off  the 
boys  and  squaws,  the  young  warrior  Tecumseh,  one 
of  the  brothers  of  the  chief  I  had  killed,  claimed  me 
for  adoption  in  place  of  his  kinsman.  The  other 
brother,  Elskwatawa,  promptly  seconded  Tecumseh. 
After  much  dispute,  their  claim  was  allowed,  and  for 


My  Indian  Tale  125 

three  years  I  lived  as  a  member  of  the  tribe,  always 
watched  against  escape,  yet  treated  with  utmost 
kindness. 

''  That  Fall  the  leading  members  of  my  tribe  were 
present  with  the  braves  of  the  Miamis,  Delawares, 
Wyandots,  Iroquois,  and  other  tribes,  who  made  a 
second  Braddock's  Defeat  of  their  battle  with  Gen 
eral  St.  Clair.  They  brought  back  no  captives,  but 
such  quantities  of  plunder  and  such  tales  of  slaughter 
that  I  could  hardly  credit  either  my  eyes  or  my  ears. 

"  After  this  I  was  taken  to  the  neighborhood  of 
the  British  fort  near  the  Maumee  Rapids,  where  the 
notorious  renegade  McKee  proved  that  even  the 
worst  of  men  have  their  better  nature.  He  sought  to 
ransom  me  from  my  adopted  brothers.  This  was  re 
fused,  but  I  was  permitted  to  come  and  go  freely  to 
the  fort.  One  day,  chancing  upon  a  book  of  physic 
in  the  scant  library  of  the  post  surgeon,  I  showed 
such  interest  that  the  portly  old  doctor  seized  upon 
me  as  a  protege. 

"Within  a  year  I  was  forced  to  return  to  the 
Shawnee  towns,  but  with  me  I  took  a  Latin  grammar 
and  my  precious  treatise  on  physic.  Again  I  was 
brought  to  the  Maumee,  and  there  placed  for  safe 
keeping  in  the  fort  during  General  Wayne's  cautious 
but  steady  advance  north  from  Fort  Washington. 
This  meant  months  more  of  study  under  the  tuition 
of  my  kindly  surgeon;  so  that  upon  the  day  of 
Wayne's  glorious  victory  at  Fallen  Timbers,  when  he 
drove  the  routed  warriors  of  the  allied  tribes  past 


126  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

the  very  walls  of  the  fort,  I  was  further  advanced 
in  my  studies  than  many  an  English  schoolboy  of 
seventeen  or  eighteen,  and,  I  must  confess,  fast  ac 
quiring  British  sympathies. 

"  But  the  sight  of  Wayne's  victorious  cavalry,  who 
rode  up  defiantly  within  pistol-shot  of  the  palisades, 
roused  in  me  such  a  feverish  desire  to  escape  that  I 
should  have  flung  myself  upon  the  bayonets  of  the 
sentinels  rather  than  have  remained.  Fortunately 
the  garrison  was  so  intent  upon  the  burning  of  the 
dwellings  and  trading  establishments  without  the  fort 
by  our  army,  that  I  was  able  to  slip  over  the  stockade 
with  the  aid  of  a  rope,  and  make  off  safely  in  the 
darkness." 

Alisanda  sighed  her  relief  of  the  suspense  that  had 
held  her  tense.  "  So  you  escaped! "  she  exclaimed. 

"  To  the  American  camp  where  I  found  both  my 
father  and  my  mother's  cousin,  Captain  Van  Rens- 
selaer.  The  captain  had  been  shot  from  his  saddle 
during  the  battle,  but  was  able  to  return  with  us  to 
Cincinnati  when  my  father's  term  of  service  as  a 
mounted  volunteer  expired.  It  was  Captain  Rens- 
selaer  who,  upon  his  return  to  New  York,  sent  for 
me  to  complete  my  medical  and  other  studies  in 
Columbia  College." 

ffPor  Dios!  What  a  life!"  cried  Don  Pedro. 
"  We  also  have  our  Indian  battles.  But  to  live 
among  the  ferocious  savages  —  Santa  Maria!  Small 
wonder  you  men  of  the  forest  wilderness  are  men  of 
iron!" 


My  Indian  Tale  127 

"  Many  settlers  of  soft  fibre  have  come  over  the 
mountains  since  the  days  of  peace.  But  the  men  who 
first  hewed  their  homes  in  the  wilderness  had  to  be 
of  iron.  Such  are  those  who  now  press  on  to  the  new 
frontiers  of  the  South,  the  Lakes,  and  the  Mississippi." 

"  Among  whom  is  our  friend  Don  Juan,"  replied 
Alisanda. 

I  looked,  thinking  to  see  a  mocking  glance,  and 
instead  found  myself  gazing  down  into  the  fathomless 
depths  of  her  eyes. 


CHAPTER     X 

THE   FATHER    OF    WATERS 

SO  far  I  have  written  at  some  length  of  our  voy 
age,  for  it  was  these  first  days  that  set  the  stamp 
upon  the  relations  of  our  little  party.  From  the  hills 
of  Cincinnati,  which  we  sighted  as  I  ended  the  story 
of  my  boyhood,  on  down  the  long  descent  to  Natchez, 
I  was  as  one  of  Don  Pedro's  own  kinsmen.  The 
name  spoken  by  Alisanda,  seemingly  in  jest,  became 
the  name  by  which  all  addressed  me,  only  that  before 
we  entered  the  Mississippi  both  the  senor  and  she  had 
begun  to  drop  the  "  Don  "  in  favor  of  the  familiar 
"  Juan." 

So  "  Juan  "  and  "  Alisanda  "  it  became  between 
my  lady  and  me,  and  Don  Pedro  looked  on  and  smiled. 
Yet  with  and  beneath  it  all,  both  held  to  a  subtle 
reserve  which  told  me  plainer  than  words  that  the 
barriers  were  down  only  for  a  truce,  and  not  for  a 
treaty,  —  that  our  freedom  of  conduct  as  f ellow- 
tavellers  would  at  the  journey's  end  be  barred  by  a 
return  to  customs  not  of  the  country. 

At  times  when  alone  on  watch  at  night,  I  thought 
with  misgiving  of  the  approaching  days  when  my 
lady  would  resume  her  fine  Castilian  hauteur  and  Don 
Pedro  his  punctilious  politeness.  But  on  the  whole 


The  Father  of  Waters  129 

I  was  content  to  make  the  most  of  my  opportunities, 
—  to  drift  with  the  current  of  our  companionship  as 
the  boat  drifted  with  the  stream. 

Milder  days  came  to  us  as  we  floated  down  into 
the  Southwest,  —  days  of  grateful  sunshine  and  less 
ening  rains,  —  heavenly  hours  beneath  the  blue  sky, 
when,  inspired  by  the  blossoming  springtime  upon 
the  verdant  shores,  we  sat  together  in  the  open  stern 
and  sang  solos  and  duets  and  trios  to  the  accompani 
ment  of  the  guitar. 

With  the  coming  of  nightfall  I  learned  to  look 
longingly  for  fog  or  wet,  for  a  clear  moon  meant  a 
night  on  watch,  that  we  might  lose  nothing  of  the 
drift.  But  a  dark  sky  gave  me  excuse  to  tie  up  to 
the  bank  for  the  night  and  join  in  an  evening  of 
music  and  genteel  talk  about  our  crackling  beech- 
wood  fire. 

Then  there  were  lessons  for  me  in  Spanish  from 
the  don,  and  in  the  playing  of  the  guitar  by  Alisanda. 
It  was  strange  how  clumsy  were  my  fingers  and  how 
repeatedly  I  had  to  ask  my  fair  teacher  to  place  them 
correctly. 

And  so  we  swept  on  down  the  beautiful  river,  the 
swirling  depth  of  the  Spring  fresh  bearing  us  clear 
over  the  rocks  of  the  Ohio  Falls  at  Louisville,  as  over 
the  hundreds  of  miles  of  inundated  flats  and  shoals 
above  and  below. 

At  Lusk's  Ferry  Don  Pedro  had  planned  to  leave 
the  river  and  cut  across  country  horseback,  over  the 
forty-league  road  to  Kaskaskia,  which  would  have 


130  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

saved  nearly  half  the  keelboat  journey  up  the  Missis 
sippi  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  to  St.  Louis.  For 
this  we  should  have  taken  aboard  our  horses  at  Louis 
ville  or  at  the  little  settlement  of  Shawnee  Town 
below  the  Wabash,  since  at  Lusk's  Ferry  suitable 
mounts  for  our  party  were  not  to  be  had  at  any  price. 
In  the  outcome,  however,  the  miscarriage  of  plans 
proved  truly  fortunate. 

Having  no  other  choice,  we  dropped  on  down 
stream  past  the  Cumberland  and  Tennessee  Rivers, 
to  Fort  Massac,  our  lonesome  American  stockade, 
built  near  the  site  of  the  old  French  post  of  the  same 
name.  We  tied  up  to  the  steep  bank  of  clay  and 
gravel,  and  I  made  a  landing.  Upon  inquiry  at  the 
post,  Captain  Bissell,  the  commandant,  whom  I  had 
met  the  previous  Fall  on  my  eastward  journey,  in 
formed  me  at  some  length  as  to  the  movements  of 
General  Wilkinson.  Report  having  been  received 
that  General  Herrera,  the  Spanish  commander  in 
Texas,  was  gathering  a  force  to  march  upon  Natchi- 
toches,  the  Commander-in- Chief  had  descended  the 
Mississippi  for  the  double  purpose  of  strengthening 
the  forts  at  New  Orleans  and  of  assembling  a  force  to 
repel  the  expected  invasion. 

I  intimated  to  the  captain  that  Senor  Vallois  was 
not  averse  to  a  war  which  might  give  his  country 
opportunity  to  throw  off  the  Spanish  yoke.  At 
this  he  confided  to  me  as  his  opinion  that  the  long- 
impending  hostilities  seemed  now  inevitable,  and 
that  he  would  welcome  a  change  which  would  not 


The  Father  of  Waters  131 

only  relieve  him  of  his  ennui  in  this  solitary  post,  but 
would  tend  to  break  up  the  general  stagnation  of 
the  service. 

His  urgent  invitation  brought  Don  Pedro  and 
Alisanda  ashore  for  a  much  needed  change.  Neither 
had  set  foot  on  shore  for  days,  and  I  persuaded  Don 
Pedro  that  the  recreation  was  well  worth  the  delay. 
But  my  pleasure  over  the  enjoyment  of  the  exercise 
was  not  added  to  by  the  sight  of  the  gallant  captain 
and  his  no  less  gallant  lieutenant  receiving  the  smiles 
of  Alisanda  for  their  attentions.  As  a  good  excuse 
for  avoiding  the  painful  spectacle,  I  secured  some 
spare  jars  of  sweetmeats  from  Chita,  and  bartered 
them  in  the  little  settlement  near  the  fort  stockade  for 
chickens,  eggs,  and  butter,  —  all  of  which  would  be 
still  higher  in  price  and  harder  to  obtain  after  we 
entered  the  Mississippi. 

Soon  after  the  landing  of  my  companions,  so  strong 
a  head  wind  set  in  that  we  were  forced  to  lie  moored 
over  night.  Toward  morning  it  fell  to  a  pleasant 
breeze,  and  I  put  off  at  dawn,  without  waiting  to 
rouse  the  others. 

Midday  found  us  afloat  on  the  broad  bosom  of  the 
Father  of  Waters,  whose  noble  flood,  swollen  above 
St.  Louis  by  the  silty  downpourings  of  the  Missouri, 
and  here  by  the  Spring  torrent  of  the  Ohio,  rolled 
on  gulf  wards  in  full-banked  majesty.  It  was  a  grand 
sight,  but  one  to  which  Don  Pedro  and  Alisanda  gave 
more  thought  than  myself.  Captain  Bissell  had 
dropped  me  a  word  of  warning  as  to  possible  trouble 


132  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

from  canoe  parties  of  Chickasaw  and  other  Indians, 
which,  in  view  of  Alisanda's  presence,  gave  me  no 
little  uneasiness. 

That  night  and  the  next  I  called  upon  Don  Pedro 
to  watch,  turn  about,  with  myself.  I  even  went  so  far 
as  to  land  at  New  Madrid;  but  the  villagers  knew 
nothing  of  the  Indians.  At  last,  late  in  the  after 
noon  of  the  third  day,  we  sighted  a  canoe  full  of  war 
riors  putting  out  from  the  left  bank,  with  the  evident 
intention  of  intercepting  us.  At  my  command  Alis- 
anda  and  her  woman  sought  shelter  in  their  room, 
while  I  left  the  steering  to  the  don,  and  stood  ready 
with  my  rifle  and  his  pistols. 

When  I  signed  the  party  to  hold  off  at  hailing  dis 
tance,  the  foremost  warrior  signed  back  that  they 
were  friends.  But  they  were  now  near  enough  for 
me  to  see  their  black  war  paint.  Again  I  signed  the 
leader  to  keep  off,  and  he  in  turn  hailed  me  in 
Shawnee,  demanding  lead  and  gunpowder.  Before 
I  realized  what  I  was  saying,  I  had  answered  him 
in  his  own  tongue,  telling  him  to  bring  his  party 
around  under  our  stern. 

At  this  unexpected  address,  the  chief  raised  the 
hand  which  I  knew  had  been  grasping  his  rifle.  I 
responded  with  three  or  four  quick  signs  that  drew  a 
guttural  exclamation  from  the  least  stolid  of  the 
warriors.  They  were  not  used  to  meeting  white  men 
who  could  claim  fellowship  in  their  tribe.  But  as  they 
paddled  nearer,  I  stared  back  at  their  chief,  hardly 
less  astonished.  There  could  be  no  mistaking  his 


The  Father  of  Waters  133 

noble,  powerful  features.  He  was  my  adopted  brother 
Tecumseh ! 

The  instant  I  recognized  him  with  certainty,  I  laid 
down  my  rifle,  and  called  to  him  in  Shawanese:  "  Te 
cumseh,  many  years  have  come  and  gone  since  we 
parted  at  the  British  fort  on  the  Maumee,  yet  do 
you  not  know  again  your  white  brother  Scalp 
Boy?" 

At  the  word  he  rose  from  his  knees  and  stood 
grandly  erect  in  the  bow  of  the  canoe,  staring  at  me 
from  beneath  his  levelled  palm.  The  craft  was  now 
within  twenty  yards  of  us,  and  Don  Pedro  could  not 
withhold  a  muttered  exclamation  of  apprehension  and 
warning.  Almost  at  the  same  moment  Tecumseh 
stooped,  and  catching  up  a  corner  of  his  blanket,  wiped 
the  grim  war  paint  from  his  face.  The  paddlers  at 
once  paused  to  follow  his  example. 

"  Santisima!  "  muttered  Don  Pedro.  "  Why  do 
they  rub  their  faces?  " 

"  They  remove  the  war  paint  in  proof  of  friendship. 
Their  chief  is  one  of  my  Indian  brothers,  who  saved 
me  from  torture." 

"  But  they  come  close!  You  will  not  permit  them 
to  enter  the  boat,  with  Alisanda  —  " 

"  Fear  nothing,"  I  hastened  to  assure  him.  "  We 
are  safer  now  than  when  we  were  alone.  My  brother 
and  his  people  can  be  trusted  with  our  lives  and  our 
property." 

"  It  is  true,  senor,"  remarked  Tecumseh  in  clear 
though  guttural  English.  "  Scalp  Boy  and  his  friends 


134  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

are  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  all  Shawnees.  He  is  a  mem 
ber  of  our  tribe  and  my  brother." 

I  reached  out  and  grasped  the  hand  of  the  chief  as 
the  canoe  came  alongside. 

"  Come  aboard  and  feast  with  us,"  I  said. 

He  shook  his  head.  "  No,  Scalp  Boy;  that  may  not 
be.  It  warms  my  heart  to  again  grasp  your  hand; 
but  you  are  an  American  white  man;  you  have  long 
ago  forgotten  your  Shawnee  kindred  —  " 

"  No,  no,  Tecumseh!  I  have  always  remembered 
you  and  Elskwatawa,  my  true-hearted  brothers  — 

"  Tecumseh  does  not  blame  his  white  brother  for 
returning  to  his  white  kindred.  There  is  no  enmity 
between  us.  But  Elskwatawa  our  brother  has  be 
come  a  communer  with  the  Great  Spirit,  and  he  has 
told  the  redman  how  evil  are  the  customs  and  food 
and  firewater  of  the  white  man.  It  is  evil  for  the 
redman  to  mingle  with  the  white  people." 

"  Have  you  then  taken  the  warpath,  my  brother? 
Is  that  why  you  came  out  against  us  in  war  paint? " 
I  asked. 

"  We  came  out  to  attack  you  because  we  had  need 
of  powder,  and  I  would  not  beg.  But  we  are  not  on 
the  warpath." 

"  You  are  far  from  home,"  I  remarked. 

He  swept  his  hand  around  in  a  grand  gesture. 
"  Elskwatawa  the  Prophet  and  I  make  a  great  jour 
ney  to  our  red  cousins.  We  visit  all  the  tribes  from 
the  Great  Lakes  to  that  greater  water  in  the  South 
which  the  white  people  call  the  Gulf." 


The  Father  of  Waters  135 

"  To  form  a  great  conspiracy  against  my  people! " 
I  exclaimed. 

'  Your  people !  "  he  repeated.  "  No,  we  seek  to  con 
vince  the  tribes  of  my  people  that  they  are  all  brothers, 
and  should  join  in  one  nation." 

:'  That  they  may  seek  to  destroy  the  white  people!  " 
'  That  they  may  hold  back  the  white  man  from 
stealing  any  more  of  their  land." 

He  had  me  there.  I  could  only  look  my  regret ;  for 
I  knew  that,  whatever  his  intent,  the  result  must  be 
war. 

He  returned  to  the  object  of  his  averted  attack. 
"  Give  us  powder  and  lead,  Scalp  Boy.  We  cannot 
eat  the  white  man's  food.  We  need  powder  and  lead 
to  shoot  game." 

"  Not  to  make  war?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  speak  with  a  straight  tongue,"  he  said. 

At  this  I  went  into  the  cabin  and  fetched  out  a 
small  keg  of  powder  and  a  quarter-hundredweight  of 
lead.  He  motioned  me  to  hand  the  gifts  to  the  war 
rior  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe,  and  when  I  turned  again 
to  him,  he  held  out  a  beautifully  wrought  belt  of 
wampum. 

"It  is  little  I  can  give  to  my  brother,"  he  said. 

"  I  take  the  gift  because  my  brother  offers  it,"  I 
replied.  "  What  I  have  given  is  nothing.  All  that 
I  could  give  would  not  repay  what  Tecumseh  did  for 
me  in  my  boyhood!  " 

He  looked  me  up  and  down  with  an  approving 
glance.  "  Scalp  Boy  has  grown  to  be  a  great  warrior. 


136  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

I  will  ask  the  Great  Spirit  that  we  may  never  meet 
on  the  battlefield." 

Before  I  could  respond,  he  signed  his  warriors  to 
push  off,  and  the  canoe  shot  away  at  arrowy  speed. 
At  once  Alisanda  slipped  out  of  the  cabin,  to  peer 
after  the  darting  craft  and  the  grim  savages,  whose 
naked,  bronzed  f orebodies,  fantastically  streaked  with 
the  war  paint,  swayed  to  the  paddle  strokes  so  vigor 
ously  as  to  bob  their  plumed  war  locks  about  in  a 
most  comical  manner.  It  was  a  sight  she  was  not  apt 
to  see  again  even  on  the  Mississippi,  if  only  because 
of  the  redman's  dislike  to  exert  himself  except  when 
hunting  or  on  the  warpath. 

Though  we  had  come  so  well  through  this  adven 
ture,  the  accident  of  our  escape  from  attack  did  not 
lessen  my  fear  of  visits  from  Indians  belonging  to 
other  tribes.  To  my  vast  relief,  the  following  day 
brought  us  safely  in  the  approach  of  a  great  flotilla 
of  flour-laden  flats,  whose  draught  of  water  gave  them 
better  headway  than  our  boat.  The  drift  of  our  craft, 
which  sat  so  much  higher  in  the  water,  was  at  times 
more  retarded  by  the  head  winds.  The  difference 
was  so  slight  that  we  were  able  to  keep  the  others  in 
sight  until  another  flotilla  overtook  us.  In  fact,  so 
vast  was  the  extent  of  the  river  traffic  that  from  this 
point  until  our  landing  at  Natchez,  we  were  never 
beyond  view  of  one  or  more  descending  vessels,  while 
even  keelboats,  ascending  under  sail  or  poles,  were 
not  uncommon. 

Though  far  from  as  swift  as  the  flooded  Ohio,  the 


The  Father  of  Waters  137 

Mississippi  bore  us  rapidly  on  our  way.  Divided  by 
island  after  island  and  contorted  this  way  and  that 
by  out  jutting  points,  its  mighty  current,  swollen  to 
vast  width,  yet  swept  on  in  majestic  grandeur  past 
towering  bluffs  and  inundated  lowlands  and  wilder 
nesses  as  virgin  as  in  the  remote  days  of  De  Soto  the 
Spaniard,  and  La  Salle  the  Frenchman,  other  than 
for  an  occasional  plantation  and,  at  longer  intervals, 
the  log  cabins  of  the  little  settlements. 

I  will  not  speak  of  our  difficulties  from  snags  and 
sawyers  and  delaying  eddies,  or  of  the  extreme  diffi 
culty  of  shooting  the  waterfowl,  which,  though  abun 
dant,  had  long  since  been  taught  wariness  by  the  guns 
aboard  the  swarming  river  craft.  I  shot  a  swan  and 
now  and  then  a  duck,  but  for  the  most  part  was  held 
too  close  to  the  navigation  of  our  awkward  flat  to  hunt 
such  shy  game. 

On  the  other  hand,  our  well-stocked  larder  supplied 
us  with  all  else  than  fresh  meat  and  milk,  and  to 
obtain  fish  we  had  only  to  trail  a  line  over  the  stern. 
The  season  was  favorable  to  the  avoidance  of  fevers 
and  agues;  the  high  water  obviated  in  a  measure  the 
danger  of  shoals  and  sawyers,  and  I  had  had  the 
forethought  to  provide  nettings,  which  saved  us  when 
within  the  cabin  the  torments  which  at  night  we  would 
otherwise  have  suffered  from  mosquitoes  and  gnats, 
even  out  in  midchannel. 

So,  on  the  whole,  our  days  would  have  passed 
pleasantly,  even  without  those  joys  of  companionship 
of  which  I  have  written.  Aside  from  an  occasional 


138  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

fierce  thunder  storm,  our  May  days  on  the  lower 
river  were  ideal  to  southern-born  persons  like  my 
companions,  though  the  fervid  sun-rays  on  the  water 
darkened  Don  Pedro's  aristocratic  face  to  a  coffee 
brown,  and  burned  my  ruddy  complexion  until  it  pre 
sented  one  unvaried  expanse  of  brick  red. 

When  not  at  work,  Chita  was  accustomed  to  doze, 
uncovered,  in  the  full  blaze,  mumbling  in  answer  to 
my  repeated  warnings,  that  it  would  take  a  lifetime 
of  basking  to  draw  the  fog  and  wet  of  England  and 
my  country  from  her  bones.  But  she  took  great  care 
that  her  mistress  should  never  venture  out  into  the 
sun-glare  unmasked.  Though  the  senorita  could  en 
dure  the  heat  as  well  as  herself,  there  was  always  the 
senorita's  complexion  to  be  considered. 


CHAPTER   XI 

GENERAL   WILKINSON 

BY  tacit  agreement,  throughout  our  long  voyage 
no  mention  had  been  made  of  its  purpose  since 
the  evening  of  our  visit  with  the  Blennerhassets. 
Intimate  as  had  been  my  relations  with  Alisanda  and 
her  uncle,  it  was  not  the  part  of  an  honorable  man  to 
receive  confidences  bearing  on  Don  Pedro's  plans, 
until  I  had  seen  General  Wilkinson  and  learned 
whether  Colonel  Burr's  test  of  influence  would  stand. 
Unless  committed  to  the  furtherance  of  the  far- 
reaching  projects  which  the  Colonel  had  outlined  to 
me,  I  felt  that  I  had  no  right  to  share  the  secrets  of 
the  scheme. 

In  compliance  with  my  wish,  Don  Pedro  had  re 
frained  from  all  allusion  to  the  subject,  going  so  far 
as  seldom  to  mention  his  home  and  country.  In  con 
sequence,  this  being  Alisanda's  first  voyage  to  New 
Spain,  I  learned  so  little  of  their  plans  that  when  we 
landed  at  Natchez  I  knew  only  that  they  expected  to 
sail  from  New  Orleans  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  from  there 
to  travel  either  by  diligencia  or  private  coach  to  a 
town  named  Chihuahua,  in  the  desert  interior,  where 
the  don  was  possessed  of  a  great  estate.  Even  of  the 
nature  and  customs  of  the  country  I  had  gathered 


140  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

few  facts  to  add  to  the  vague  information  acquired 
in  past  years  from  the  Spanish  Creoles. 

But  with  our  approach  to  Natchez,  that  which  had 
been  least  in  my  thoughts  became  the  uppermost. 
General  Wilkinson  was  at  Natchez,  and  the  nature 
of  his  response  to  my  letters  from  Colonel  Burr  was  a 
matter  of  vital  importance  to  me.  A  few  days  after 
our  arrival  would  bring  about  my  inevitable  parting 
from  Alisanda.  If  that  parting  took  place  without 
the  knitting  of  new  ties  for  the  future,  what  hope  had 
I  of  ever  again  looking  into  the  depths  of  her  dark 
eyes? 

But  should  the  Commander-in- Chief  prove  the 
feasibility  of  Colonel  Burr's  plans  by  agreeing  to  pre 
cipitate  war  and  support  the  invasion  of  Mexico,  and 
should  he,  in  addition,  give  to  me  the  leadership  of 
the  Western  expedition,  how  strong  my  cause  for 
hope!  At  once  I  could  enter  into  the  plans  of  Don 
Pedro,  and  while  he  journeyed  back  to  Chihuahua,  to 
prepare  his  friends  for  the  revolution,  I  could  lead 
my  expedition  across  the  great  plains,  my  approach 
to  Santa  Fe  to  be  the  signal  for  the  uprising.  With 
war  raging  on  the  Sabine  River  and  in  Texas,  the  in 
terior  provinces  would  be  drained  of  Spanish  troops; 
so  that  the  revolution  could  be  gotten  well  under  way 
before  the  Viceroy  could  send  up  an  army  from  the 
City  of  Mexico. 

Though  not  a  man  of  military  training,  I  then 
believed,  and  am  still  convinced,  that  this  plan  of  cam 
paign  would  have  met  with  certain  success.  Thou- 


General  Wilkinson  141 

sands  of  our  hardy  frontiersmen  were  ready  at  the 
word  to  fling  themselves  across  the  Spanish  borders, 
and  with  such  men  as  the  fiery  General  Jackson  to 
lead  them,  they  would  have  soon  crushed  all  the  forces 
which  General  H  err  era  could  have  brought  against 
them.  Their  march  across  Texas  and  to  the  City  of 
Mexico  would  have  been  marked  by  an  unbroken 
succession  of  victories,  while  I,  fighting  side  by  side 
with  Don  Pedro  in  the  revolutionary  army  of  Mexico, 
with  Alisanda  to  win !  — 

But  enough  of  idle  dreams!  Those  who  base  their 
plans  on  the  leadership  of  wild  schemers  and  double- 
dyed  traitors  should  be  grateful  if  the  outcome  finds 
them  unsmirched  by  the  company  they  have  kept. 

We  moored  to  the  wharf  under  the  bluff  at  Natchez, 
and  I,  dressed  fittingly  for  the  occasion,  had  the  pleas 
ure  of  escorting  Alisanda  up  to  the  little  town  on  the 
hilly  slope  behind  the  bluff-crest,  —  my  companion 
finding  much  to  interest  her  in  the  motley  crowd  of 
Spanish  and  French  Creoles,  Americans,  negro  slaves, 
and  Chickasaw  Indians. 

The  don  had  not  expected  to  stop  at  this  seat  of 
the  Government  of  Mississippi  Territory ;  else  I  have 
no  doubt  Colonel  Burr  would  have  provided  him  with 
a  letter  to  insure  hospitality  from  the  persons  who 
had  so  feted  that  statesman  the  preceding  Fall.  As 
it  was,  I  arranged  for  the  best  accommodation  to  be 
had  at  Mickie's  Hotel,  and  at  once  set  about  the  dis 
posal  of  our  floating  home. 

It  being  understood  that  I  might  be  required  to 


142  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

hasten  north  to  St.  Louis,  Don  Pedro  had  decided 
to  sell  the  flat,  since,  without  my  company,  it  would 
be  more  convenient  to  continue  the  voyage  to  New 
Orleans  in  a  passenger  boat.  A  flat  is  worth  so  little 
at  this  end  of  the  river  trade  that  I  was  glad  to  bar 
gain  the  craft  for  twenty  dollars  to  a  family  of  French 
Creoles.  At  New  Orleans  I  might  have  sought  in 
vain  for  a  purchaser.  Scores  of  flats  are  there  aban 
doned  by  the  rivermen,  many  of  whom  return  to  the 
upper  shipping  towns  afoot. 

After  some  hours  of  delay  at  the  water  front,  I 
returned  to  Mickie's  Tavern  with  a  cartload  of  im 
pedimenta,  including  my  own  chest.  Don  Pedro  met 
me  at  the  door,  with  the  information  that  he  had  al 
ready  seen  General  Wilkinson,  who,  upon  learning 
that  I  also  bore  despatches,  had  sent  him  to  summon 
me  to  the  headquarters.  The  don's  expression,  so  far 
as  one  might  read  his  proud  features,  told  me  that 
the  interview  had  not  been  over-satisfactory. 

"  You  are  not  pleased  at  General  Wilkinson? "  I 
asked. 

"  Nada,  John,"  he  answered  with  a  terseness  which 
spoke  volumes. 

I  could  well  imagine  what  he  would  have  said,  had 
not  his  courtesy  prevented. 

"  I  will  hasten,"  I  said.  "  It  may  be  he  will  meet 
you  in  a  more  favorable  mood  after  he  has  seen  the 
letters  I  bear." 

"God  knows!  Who  can  tell?"  he  murmured  in 
Spanish. 


General  Wilkinson  143 

"  I  hope  to  know  within  the  hour,"  I  replied. 

"  Sabe  Dios  —  Quien  sabe?  "  he  repeated,  as  I  set 
off. 

I  found  the  General's  headquarters  without  diffi 
culty,  and  upon  mentioning  my  name,  was  at  once 
passed  in  by  the  sentinel  on  guard  in  the  piazza. 
When  I  entered  the  office,  I  found  the  General  study 
ing  a  map  of  Lowrer  Louisiana,  in  company  with  Col 
onel  Gushing,  his  second  in  command.  For  a  moment 
he  stared  at  me  with  stupid  pomposity,  as  if  he  had 
been  overcome  with  the  whiskey,  a  bottle  of  which 
stood  on  the  table  before  him.  But  even  as  I  gave  my 
name,  he  recognized  me  and  beckoned  me  to  a  seat 
at  the  table,  with  a  fussy  show  of  cordiality. 

"  Of  course,  of  course,  Dr.  Robinson!  Take  a  seat! 
I  'm  pestered  with  all  kinds  of  visitors  in  these  days 
of  impending  war.  But  a  gentleman  is  always  wel 
come.  Colonel  Gushing,  you  have  met  Dr.  Robin 
son? —  No?  —  One  of  our  most  promising  young 
physicians,  —  already  favorably  known  for  his  skill, 
both  in  the  Upper  and  Lower  Territory.  He  has,  I 
understand,  a  private  claim  to  present  for  my  con 
sideration.  That  is  my  understanding,  doctor." 

'  You  have  been  so  kind,  sir,  as  to  give  me  oppor 
tunity  to  present  a  matter  of  private  business,  if  I  am 
not  mistaken." 

Colonel  Gushing  promptly  rose,  excused  himself, 
and  withdrew.  The  General  leaned  toward  me,  his 
fat,  red  face  flushing  still  deeper,  his  breath  hurried 
and  labored. 


144  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  You  bring  me  letters?  "  he  puffed. 

I  took  out  my  packet,  broke  the  seal  before  his 
eyes,  and  handed  over  the  first  two  letters,  which  were 
addressed  to  him.  He  tore  open  both  with  pudgy 
fingers  that  shook,  either  from  excitement  or  excess 
of  drink.  The  more  bulky  one  he  stared  at  for  a 
moment,  with  knitted  brows,  only  to  fling  it  into  a 
drawer. 

"  Cypher  again!  "  he  muttered. 

'  You  spoke  to  me,  sir? "  I  asked. 

He  glared  across  at  me,  with  what  I  could  have 
sworn  was  pa-nicky  fear.  His  voice  shook:  "  You  — 
you —  Do  you  know  what  is  in  these  letters?  " 

6  You  saw  me  break  the  seal  of  the  packet,"  I  re 
plied.  "  I  do  not  know  the  contents  of  Colonel  Burr's 
messages;  though,  from  what  he  told  me,  one  letter 
relates  to  myself,  and  the  other  bears  upon  the  death 
of  Pitt." 

"Pitt!  —  Pitt  dead?"  he  gasped,  losing  thought 
of  the  one  fear  in  another. 

"  Have  you  not  heard?  "  I  asked,  astonished.  "  It 
is  months  since  his  death  —  midwinter." 

"  But  —  but  —  that  puts  another  face  on  the  plans ! 
Without  Pitt  — without  the  British  ships  —  " 

"  British  ships!  "  I  exclaimed. 

He  started,  and  sought  to  gather  together  his  scat 
tered  wits,  hastily  pouring  out  and  drinking  half  a 
glass  of  raw  whiskey  before  again  speaking.  I  waved 
aside  the  bottle  and  a  second  glass  which  he  thrust 
toward  me,  and  pointed  to  the  other  letter.  "  Your 


General  Wilkinson  145 

Excellency,  may  I  ask  you  to  read  what  Colonel  Burr 
has  written  with  regard  to  myself?  " 

He  caught  up  the  letter,  and  after  a  hasty  glance 
about  the  room  from  door  to  window,  began  to  read. 
I  could  see  by  the  quickness  with  which  his  eyes  fol 
lowed  the  lines  that,  unlike  the  first,  it  was  written  in 
a  legible  hand.  At  the  end  he  went  back  and  re-read 
the  latter  part.  Coming  again  to  the  end,  he  laid  the 
letter  down,  and  addressed  me  with  a  most  bombastic 
assumption  of  dignity:  "  Sir,  Colonel  Burr  takes  too 
much  upon  himself  —  far  too  much !  The  granting 
of  your  request,  sir,  is  impossible  —  impossible!" 

Away  puffed  my  aircastles  at  a  word,  and  left  me 
stunned  and  heartsick.  I  had  not  looked  for  so  sud 
den  a  blow.  Yet  I  managed  to  protest:  "  Your  Ex 
cellency,  I  have  ventured  to  imagine  that  I  am  not 
altogether  lacking  in  the  qualities  needed  by  the 
leader  of  such  an  expedition." 

He  unbent  a  trifle.  "  Sir,  I  do  not  question  your 
qualifications." 

"  Then  what  prevents  my  appointment,  Your  Ex 
cellency?  Is  it  that  you  wish  further  recommenda 
tions?  If  only  my  friend  Lieutenant  Pike  were  here 
to  speak  for  me!  " 

"  That,  sir,  is  the  point.  I  cannot  give  you  the 
place,  because  Lieutenant  Pike  has  already  been  as 
signed  to  it." 

"  He!  "  I  cried.  "  But  he  is  at  the  sources  of  the 
Mississippi!  " 

"  He  was,  sir,  and  the  Government  shall  hear  of  it, 

10 


146  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

to  his  just  credit.  He  has  explored  the  headwaters 
of  the  river;  entered  into  treaties  with  the  powerful 
tribes  of  the  Sioux  and  Chippewas;  hauled  down 
the  British  flags  at  the  fur-trading  posts,  and  com 
pelled  an  agreement  of  the  Northwest  Company  to 
pay  us  our  import  duties  at  Michilmackinac." 

"  And  he  has  returned!  "  I  muttered. 

"  In  April.  By  now  he  is  fitting  out  this  present 
expedition." 

I  rose  and  bowed.  "  Such  being  the  case,  Your 
Excellency,  permit  me  to  wish  you  good-day." 

"  One  moment,"  he  said,  leaning  toward  me,  with 
a  leer  which  doubtless  he  meant  for  an  ingratiating 
glance.  "  Has  your  ambition  so  narrow  a  range, 
doctor?  " 

"  My  ambition?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Your  ambition  and  your  interest  in  the  projects 
of  one  who  shall  at  present  go  unnamed.  I  must  read 
and  consider  what  the  gentleman  has  written  to  me. 
Whatever  my  decision  as  to  —  those  matters,  I  can 
not  give  you  what  you  have  asked;  but  —  you  will 
understand  —  there  may  be  possibilities  —  vast  pos 
sibilities  !  —  a  vast  Empire,  stretching  westward  from 
the  Alleghanies  —  " 

"  Alleghanies!  "  I  cried,  astounded. 

At  sight  of  my  face,  his  own  turned  a  mottled  gray. 
He  caught  at  the  whiskey  bottle  and  poured  himself 
out  a  second  drink.  Fortified  by  the  draught,  he 
gasped  something  about  an  attack  of  bilious  fever, 
and  added,  with  a  crafty  smile:  "  You,  sir,  as  a  phy- 


General  Wilkinson  147 

sician,  know  how  this  cursed  malaria  flies  to  the  head. 
I  have  the  word  Arkansas  on  my  tongue,  yet  say 
Alleghany." 

The  explanation  at  once  allayed  the  terrible  sus 
picion  which  had  flashed  into  my  mind.  It  was  com 
mon  knowledge  throughout  the  West  that  this  man 
had  been  involved  with  Innes  and  other  conspirators 
of  the  separatist  plots  in  the  nineties.  But  that  he 
or  Colonel  Burr  or  any  other  man  not  insane  could 
dream  of  such  treason  to  the  Republic  in  these  days 
was  a  thought  seemingly  so  preposterous  that  it 
needed  only  the  pompous  old  fellow's  word  of  expla 
nation  to  make  me  banish  the  suspicion.  Yet  I  real 
ized  that  I  had  had  quite  enough  of  his  company. 

"  Sir,"  I  said,  "  my  interest  in  the  affairs  of  Colonel 
Burr  hinged  entirely  upon  this  question  of  the  expe 
dition.  Since  the  honor  of  its  leadership  has  fallen 
to  my  friend  Lieutenant  Pike,  I  have  nothing  to  ask 
of  you." 

"  You  will  remain  in  Natchez  a  day  or  two? "  he 
inquired. 

"  I  cannot  say." 

"  It  might  prove  to  your  interest  to  delay  over. 
I  may  again  send  for  you,  notwithstanding  your  re 
luctance  to  receive  other  favors  than  the  one  I  cannot 
grant." 

I  bowed  and  withdrew,  leaving  him  in  the  act  of 
pouring  a  third  drink  of  whiskey. 


CHAPTER   XII 

AU   REVOIR 

IT  was  not  with  a  light  heart  that  I  returned  to 
Mickie's  Hotel.  I  had  made  my  cast,  and  fortune 
was  against  me.  In  the  afternoon  I  had  left  Alisanda 
smiling  down  upon  me  from  the  balcony  of  her  inn 
window ;  I  was  returning  at  nightfall  to  meet  — • 
Senorita  Vallois.  Though  to  the  last  she  and  Don 
Pedro  might  hold  to  the  familiar  "  Juan,"  how  little 
might  even  her  smiles  lighten  the  shadow  of  a  hopeless 
parting ! 

As  I  entered  the  inn  door,  Mickie  bustled  forward 
to  inform  me,  with  an  air  of  vast  importance,  that  at 
the  request  of  the  Spanish  grandee,  he  had  arranged 
to  serve  the  evening  meal  to  the  senor's  party  above 
stairs.  When  he  added  that  a  plate  was  to  be  laid 
for  myself,  I  hastened  to  my  own  room  for  a  change 
of  linen. 

My  heart  was  too  heavy  for  me  to  linger  over  fop 
pish  details  of  dress.  It  was  not  long  before  I  found 
myself  at  the  door  of  the  room  set  apart  for  the  pri 
vate  dining-parlor.  Chita,  who  was  overlooking  the 
spreading  of  the  cloth  by  the  negro  attendants  of 
the  inn,  conducted  me  through  to  the  balcony,  where 
I  found  the  don  indolently  puffing  at  his  cigarro. 


An  Revoir  149 

Before  I  could  take  the  seat  to  which  he  waved  me, 
Alisanda  floated  out  into  the  moonlight  from  the  win 
dow  behind  him.  She  was  a  vision  all  heavenly  white 
but  for  her  scarlet  lips  and  sombre  eyes  and  brows. 
Even  the  soft  tresses  of  her  hair  were  hidden  beneath 
the  gauzy  white  drape  of  tulle  and  lace  which  took 
the  place  of  her  black  mantilla. 

"  Euenas  noches,  Juan,"  she  greeted  me,  in  a  tone 
of  liquid  silver. 

"  God  be  with  you,  Alisanda!  "  I  responded. 

"  Be  seated,  amigo"  urged  Don  Pedro.  "  You 
have  a  weary  look." 

"  I  bring  what  to  me  is  heavy  news,"  I  replied. 

"  You  had  in  mind  to  ask  a  favor  of  General  Wil 
kinson,"  said  Alisanda.  "  You  have  asked  the  favor, 
and  —  he  has  refused  it?  " 

The  note  of  sympathy  in  her  voice  soothed  my  de 
spairing  anger.  I  did  not  stop  to  wonder  at  the  intui 
tion  by  which  she  had  divined  the  object  of  my  visit 
to  the  General.  It  was  enough  for  me  that  she  had 
perceived  my  heaviness,  and  held  out  to  me  her 
sympathy. 

"  It  is  true,"  I  said,  and  in  a  few  words  I  told  them 
of  my  shattered  plans,  —  how  I  had  hoped  to  gain 
fame  by  leading  an  expedition  of  exploration  to  the 
West,  as  Lewis  and  Clark  were  exploring  the  North 
west,  and  as  my  friend  Pike  had  explored  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mississippi;  and  how  the  statements  of 
Colonel  Burr  had  led  me  to  hope  for  still  greater  fame 
as  a  sharer  in  the  freeing  of  Mexico. 


150  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Don  Pedro  leaned  toward  me,  his  eyes  glowing 
with  friendly  fire.  "  Por  Dios!  Your  one  thought 
was  to  help  us  break  the  yoke !  You  would  give  your 
life  for  the  winning  of  liberty !  " 

I  looked  across  at  Alisanda,  and  the  soft  loveliness 
of  her  beauty  in  the  moonlight  filled  me  to  overflowing 
with  the  bitterness  of  my  blasted  hopes. 

"Do  not  think  me  so  noble!"  I  replied.  "I 
thought  to  fight  for  the  freedom  of  your  country,  but 
it  was  in  hope  of  a  reward  a  thousandfold  greater  than 
my  service! " 

Alisanda  raised  her  fan  and  gazed  at  me  above 
its  fluted  edge  with  widened  eyes,  —  I  feared  in  re 
sentful  wonder  at  my  audacity.  But  Don  Pedro  was 
too  intent  upon  his  own  thoughts  to  perceive  the 
meaning  of  my  words. 

"  Por  Dios! "  he  protested.  "  Those  who  have 
risen  against  Spanish  oppression  have  ever  met  with 
short  shrift.  Shall  not  they  who  brave  death  in  our 
cause  look  for  glorious  reward  in  the  hour  of  victory?  " 

"  That  is  true  of  those  who  may  be  blessed  with  the 
chance  to  join  your  ranks.  As  for  me,  the  oppor 
tunity  which  I  had  thought  to  be  golden  has  turned 
to  ashes  in  my  grasp." 

"  Sdbe  Dios! "  murmured  Alisanda  in  so  soft  a 
tone  that  the  words  came  to  me  like  a  whisper  of  the 
evening  breeze.  Was  it  possible  that  after  all  I  still 
had  cause  for  hope? 

Chita's  voice,  drawling  the  usual  Spanish  phrase, 
summoned  us  to  the  table.  We  rose,  and  Alisanda 


An  Revoir  151 

accepted  my  arm  with  a  queenly  graciousness  of  man 
ner  which  in  the  same  moment  thrilled  and  disheart 
ened  me.  I  read  it  to  mean  that  she  was  in  a  kindly 
mood,  but  that  the  kindliness  was  due  to  the  conde 
scension  of  Senorita  Vallois,  and  not  to  the  frank 
companionship  of  my  fellow-traveller  Alisanda.  This 
surmise  was  borne  out  by  her  manner  at  table,  where 
she  rallied  her  uncle  and  myself  upon  our  gravity,  and 
with  subtle  skill,  confined  the  talk  to  the  lightest  of 
topics.  The  Don  was  as  abstemious  as  most  of  his 
countrymen,  and  Mickie's  wine  was  a  libel  on  the 
name,  yet  he  soon  mellowed  to  the  gay  chit-chat  of  his 
niece. 

It  was  beyond  me  to  enter  into  this  spirit  of  merri 
ment.  I  forced  myself  to  smile  outwardly  and  to  meet 
their  lively  quips  and  sallies  with  such  nimbleness  of 
wit  as  I  possessed.  But  it  went  no  deeper  than  show 
on  my  part.  The  longer  we  sat,  the  heavier  grew 
my  heart.  I  had  no  joy  of  my  food.  Even  the 
peaches  and  the  other  fruits  of  the  lower  river  tasted 
bitter  in  my  mouth.  For  with  each  fresh  turn  of  the 
conversation  I  saw  my  Alisanda  slipping  farther 
away  from  me,  her  kindly  glance  giving  place  to  the 
haughty  gaze  of  the  Spanish  lady  of  blood,  her  fa 
miliar  address  cooling  to  stately  condescension.  I 
was  no  longer  "  Juan,"  but  "  doctor  "  and  "  senor," 
and,  near  the  end,  "  Doctor  Robinson." 

We  had  come  to  the  sweetmeats,  and  I  noted  with 
despair  that  she  was  on  the  point  of  withdrawing. 
She  had  even  thrust  back  her  chair  to  rise,  when,  with 


152  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

scant  ceremony,  a  young  soldier  in  uniform  entered 
and  stated  that  His  Excellency,  General  Wilkinson, 
desired  the  immediate  presence  of  Senor  Vallois. 

"  Carambo! "  exclaimed  Don  Pedro,  looking  re 
gretfully  at  the  sweetmeats.  "  He  might  have  chosen 
a  fitter  time!  It  is  in  my  mind  to  wait." 

"  Is  not  your  business  with  him  the  affair  of  others 
no  less  than  your  own?  "  murmured  Alisanda. 

"  Santisima  Virgen!  You  do  well  to  remind  me! 
Juan,  with  your  permission  —  " 

"  Adios!  Good  fortune  to  you!"  I  cried,  as  he 
rose. 

Another  moment  and  he  and  the  soldier  had  left 
the  room.  I  was  alone  with  Alisanda.  She  rose,  with 
a  trace  of  inquietude  beneath  her  calm  hauteur.  I 
moved  around  the  table  to  join  her. 

"  Spare  yourself  the  trouble,"  she  said,  with  re 
pellent  sharpness.  "It  is  unkind  to  take  a  man  of 
English  blood  from  his  wine." 

"  Senorita,"  I  answered,  "  since  we  came  in  to  table, 
you  have  told  me  all  too  plainly  that  you  no  longer 
wish  to  conform  to  the  customs  of  the  country.  I  do 
not  wonder.  Our  voyage  as  fellow-travellers  is  at 
an  end.  There  is  no  longer  need  for  such  slight 
service  as  I  was  able  to  render  —  " 

"  Service? "  she  repeated,  with  a  curl  of  her  scarlet 

HP. 

Though  cut  to  the  quick,  I  could  not  give  over. 
"  Alisanda,"  I  said,  "  has  it  been  nothing  to  you,  all 
these  golden  days  since  we  met  on  the  Monongahela?  " 


Au  Revoir  153 

She  raised  her  hand  to  arrange  her  scarf,  letting 
fall  a  loose  strand  of  hair  down  her  cheek. 

"  Santisima  Virgen! "  she  murmured,  with  fine 
drawn  irony.  "  It  has  ever  been  a  marvel  to  me  —  so 
chance  a  meeting." 

"  Chance,  indeed!  "  I  replied.  "  Chance  that  the 
utmost  of  my  effort  could  not  trace  the  road  by  which 
you  left  Washington ;  chance  that  Colonel  Burr  gave 
me  the  clew  for  which  I  sought;  chance  that  of  the 
nine  horses  I  rode  to  a  stand  between  Philadelphia 
and  Elizabethtown,  none  failed  me  in  my  need." 

She  gave  me  a  mocking  glance  over  her  fan. 
"  Madre  de  los  Dolores!  What  a  pity!  A  little  time, 
and  the  gulf  will  roll  between." 

"I  will  cross  that  gulf!" 

"Not  so;  for  it  is  the  gulf  of  the  Cross,"  she 
mocked.  "  I  go  the  way  of  Vera  Cruz  —  the  True 
Cross.  No  heretic  may  pass  that  way." 

The  words  struck  down  my  last  hope.  It  was  the 
truth  —  a  double  truth.  The  way  of  my  body  was 
barred  by  the  city  of  the  Cross ;  the  way  of  my  spirit 
by  that  which  to  her  the  Cross  symbolized. 

"  So  this  is  the  end,"  I  replied.  "  We  have  come 
to  the  parting  of  the  ways.  Do  not  fear  that  I  shall 
weary  you  with  annoying  persistence.  I  shall  go  my 
way  before  sunrise  to-morrow.  Only  —  let  me  ask 
that  this  last  hour  with  you  may  hold  its  share  of 
sweetness  with  the  bitterness  of  parting,  —  Alisanda !  " 

"An  hour?"  she  repeated.  "The  air  in  here  is 
close." 


154  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

She  laid  her  fingers  lightly  upon  my  arm,  and  we 
passed  out  into  the  moonlit  balcony.  For  a  time  we  sat 
silent,  she  gazing  out  across  the  broken  slopes  of  the 
town,  I  gazing  at  her  still  white  face  and  shadowy 
eyes.  Her  loveliness  was  part  with  the  night  and  the 
moonlight  and  the  scarlet  bloom  of  the  climber  upon 
the  balcony  rail. 

At  last  I  could  no  longer  endure  the  thought  that 
she  was  lost  to  me;  I  could  no  longer  deny  utterance 
to  my  love  and  longing. 

"  Alisanda !  dearest  one !  Is  there  then  no  hope 
that  I  may  win  you?  I  have  no  gallant  speeches  — 
my  love  is  voiceless;  no  less  is  it  a  love  that  shall  en 
dure  always.  Alisanda!  my  dearest  one!  is  my  love 
of  no  worth  to  you  ?  Let  your  heart  speak !  Can  it  not 
give  me  one  word  of  hope?  " 

My  voice  failed  me.  Throughout  my  passionate 
appeal  I  failed  to  see  the  slightest  change  in  her  calm 
face.  I  had  failed  to  stir  her  even  to  mockery.  Truly 
all  was  now  at  an  end !  I  bowed  my  head  and  groaned 
in  most  unmanly  fashion. 

The  low  murmur  of  her  voice  roused  me  to  despair 
ing  eagerness.  She  spoke  in  a  tone  of  light  incon 
sequence,  yet  I  seized  upon  the  words  as  the  drowning 
man  clutches  at  straws. 

"Love?  —  love?"  she  repeated.  "The  word  has 
become  a  jest.  Men  protest  that  they  know  the  mean 
ing  of  love  —  that  they  suffer  its  bitterest  pangs. 
Yet  speak  to  them  of  the  days  of  chivalry,  when  gal 
lant  knights  bore  the  colors  of  their  ladies  through 


An  Revoir  155 

deadly  battle,  and  the  ogling  beaux  turn  an  epigram 
on  les  sauvages  nous  ancetres!  " 

"  Show  me  the  way  to  the  battlefield  —  I  ask  no 
more! "  I  cried. 

"  Words  —  words !  "  she  mocked.  "  The  Cid  would 
have  found  his  way  to  the  field  of  glory  without  ask 
ing.  Were  the  way  barred,  El  Campeador  would 
have  hewn  his  way  through,  though  the  barrier  were 
of  solid  rock!  But  the  men  of  to-day —  !  " 

"Wait!"  I  broke  in.  "  Have  you  not  yourself  said 
that  the  way  of  the  gulf  is  impassable  for  me? " 

"True,"  she  assented,  "true!  And  not  alone 
the  gulf,  but  the  barrier  —  the  gulf  of  water  and  of 
the  Cross ;  the  barrier  of  rock  and  of  blood." 

"  Blue  blood  and  red  have  been  known  to  inter 
mingle,"  I  argued. 

"With  love  for  solvent!"  she  murmured.  The 
softness  was  only  for  the  instant.  "  Yet  what  of  that 
other  barrier?  "  she  demanded.  "  Between  your  land 
and  the  land  to  which  I  go  lies  the  blood  of  Christ." 

"Is  it  then  religion  that  is  the  insurmountable 
barrier  —  the  impassable  gulf?  You  have  not  lived 
all  your  life  in  Spain.  I  had  hoped  that  not  even  your 
faith  could  close  your  heart  against  me,  if  only  I 
might  prove  to  you  the  greatness  of  my  love." 

She  sat  silent  for  what  seemed  an  endless  time,  toy 
ing  idly  with  her  fan.  When  at  last  she  spoke,  it  was 
again  in  that  light,  inconsequential  tone:  "To  the 
eastward  or  northeastward  of  Santa  Fe  lies  a  vast 
snow-clad  sierra.  My  kinsman  once  saw  it  from  a 


156  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

great  distance.     He  says  it  is  called  the  Sangre  de 


"  Sangre  de  Cristo  —  the  Blood  of  Christ!  "  I  said, 
lost  in  wonderment.  Then  a  great  light  flashed  upon 
me.  I  knelt  on  one  knee  and  caught  to  my  lips  a 
white  hand  that  did  not  seek  to  escape  my  grasp. 
"  The  barrier  —  the  barrier  of  rock!  —  Alisanda!  you 
give  me  hope!  If  I  come  to  you  there  —  if  I  cross 
that  barrier?  Dearest  one!  —  dearest!  can  you  doubt 
it?  Though  I  have  to  find  my  way  alone  among  the 
fierce  savages  of  the  vast  prairies  ;  though  I  find  that 
snowy  range  a  mountain  of  ice  and  fire,  I  will  come  to 
you,  Alisanda  —  my  love  !  " 

I  saw  the  quick  rise  of  her  bosom  and  the  blush  that 
suffused  her  cheeks  with  glorious  scarlet  before  she 
could  raise  her  masking  fan. 

ff  Santisima  Virgen!  "  she  murmured,  and  broke 
into  a  little  quavering,  uncertain  laugh.  "  They  speak 
of  the  cold  blood  of  your  race!  " 

"Alisanda!  —  Dearest  one!  Tell  me  I  may 
come!  " 

She  rose  quietly,  already  calm  again,  and  cold  as 
the  moonlight  which  shone  full  upon  her  face.  I  rose 
with  her,  still  clasping  her  hand. 

"Tell  me,  Alisanda,  may  I  come?" 

"Why  ask  me  that?"  she  said,  in  an  even  voice. 
"  Could  I  prevent  if  you  wished  to  try?  " 

"  If  I  cross  the  barrier,  may  I  hope?  " 

"  There  would  yet  be  the  gulf." 

"  Gulf  or  barrier,  I  swear  I  will  find  my  way  to  you, 


Au  Revoir  157 

though  it  be  through  fire  and  flood!  I  will  seek  you 
out  and  win  you,  though  you  hide  your  beauty  be 
neath  a  nun's  veil!  " 

Such  was  the  force  of  my  passion,  I  again  saw  her 
bosom  rise  to  a  deep-drawn  breath  and  the  edges  of 
her  sensitive  nostrils  quiver.  Yet  this  time  she  did  not 
blush,  and  her  voice  cut  with  its  fine-drawn  irony: 
"Words  — words!" 

"  I  offer  love.  I  ask  nothing  in  turn  but  a  word  or 
a  token  —  nothing  but  —  my  lady's  colors." 

She  turned  and  opened  her  eyes  full  to  my  gaze  as 
she  had  opened  them  at  our  parting  in  far-off  Wash 
ington,  and  I  looked  down  into  their  depths,  vainly 
seeking  to  penetrate  the  darkness.  At  last  it  seemed 
to  me  I  saw  a  gleam  far  down  in  the  wells  of  mystery 
—  a  glow,  faint  yet  warm,  that  seemed  to  light  my 
way  to  hope. 

Suddenly  the  glow  burst  into  a  flame  of  golden 
glory —  She  was  swaying  toward  me,  a  line  of 
pearls  showing  between  her  curving  lips.  But  even 
as  I  sought  to  clasp  her  in  my  arms,  she  eluded  me  and 
glided  away,  vanishing  through  the  farther  window. 

Half  mad  with  delight,  yet  unable  to  believe  my 
own  eyes,  I  sought  to  follow,  the  blood  drumming  in 
my  ears  from  the  wild  intoxication  of  my  love.  None 
too  soon  I  heard  behind  me  the  sharp  call  of  Don 
Pedro:  "  H ola,  amigo!  Have  you  gone  deaf,  that 
you  do  not  answer?  " 

This,  then,  was  why  she  had  eluded  me!  It  was 
his  return  which  had  robbed  me  of  that  moment  of  all 


158          A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

moments.  My  look  as  I  turned  was  as  bitter  as  his 
was  keen.  My  voice  sounded  to  me  like  that  of  an 
other  man:  "What!  Back  so  soon,  senor?  " 

"  Senor? "  he  repeated,  taken  aback  by  the  formal 
address.  "  Yet  it  is  as  well,  Juan.  All  our  plans 
are  blasted.  Hereafter  it  would  seem  we  are  to  be 
strangers.  I  have  no  faith  in  the  promises  of  that 


man." 


"  You  do  well  to  distrust  him,"  I  said.  "  I  might 
have  foreseen  the  outcome  of  plans  in  which  he  was  to 
play  a  part." 

"Whom  can  we  trust  in  this  self-seeking  age!  I 
find  myself  doubting  even  the  fair  promises  of  your 
great  statesman  Burr." 

"Of  our  discredited  politician  Burr!"  I  cried. 
"  Don  Pedro,  he  has  no  claim  upon  me,  and  you  have 
many.  Let  me  tell  you,  I  begin  to  doubt  him,  even  as 
I  doubt  our  pompous  General.  I  have  reason  to  be 
lieve  that  Colonel  Burr  plans  to  take  your  country 
from  Spain,  not  for  the  benefit  of  you  and  your 
friends,  but  for  his  own  aggrandizement.  He  thinks 
himself  a  second  Napoleon." 

"  Por  Dios!  I  see  it  now.  He  plots  to  sell  us  to 
Spain,  that  Spain  may  aid  his  plot  to  make  himself 
king  of  your  Western  country,  —  king  of  all  that 
part  which  extends  from  the  Alleghanies  even  here 
to  New  Orleans  and  north  and  west  to  the  Pacific. 
I  know;  for  did  he  not  enter  into  negotiations  with 
Marquis  de  Casa  Yrujo?  " 

"With  the  Spanish  Minister?"  I  exclaimed. 


An  Revoir  159 

"With  Casa  Yrujo,  after  the  death  of  Pitt  de 
prived  him  of  the  hope  of  British  ships  and  money." 

"  So  —  he  is  but  a  crack-brained  trickster,"  I  mut 
tered.  "  We  have  chased  his  rainbows  and  landed  in 
the  mire.  This  is  the  end,  senor.  I  go  now.  To 
morrow's  sun  will  see  me  on  my  way  up-river  to  St. 
Louis.  May  you  find  brave  men  enough  in  your 
own  land  to  win  freedom,  without  the  costly  aid  of 
tricksters!  " 

"  There  are  others  than  tricksters  that  share  my 
plans  —  true-hearted  men  at  New  Orleans.  The 
Mexican  Association  stands  pledged,  —  three  hun 
dred  and  more  loyal  workers  in  the  cause  of  my 
country's  freedom." 

"  Creoles,"  I  said.  "  You  could  count  upon  a  hun 
dred  of  my  backwoods  countrymen  to  do  more,  should 
it  come  to  the  setting  of  triggers." 

'*  We  shall  see.  But  there  are  others  than  Creoles 
in  the  association.  Already  Senor  Clark  has  made 
two  voyages  to  Vera  Cruz,  to  spy  out  the  defences. 
I  go  now  to  tell  him  more.  You  know  something  as 
to  the  power  of  our  religious  orders.  At  New  Orleans 
are  two  such.  But  what  is  all  this  to  you  now? " 

"  Much,  Don  Pedro!  My  heart  is  with  the  success 
of  your  plans!  " 

"  Much  as  gracias,  ami  go!  Would  that  you  might 
journey  with  me  to  my  people!  But  the  gate  at  Vera 
Cruz  is  narrow  for  heretics.  Adios! " 

"  Adios,  Don  Pedro.  May  we  meet  under  brighter 
skies!" 


160  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"God  grant  it,  Juan!"  he  cried,  with  unfeigned 
friendliness. 

I  clasped  his  hand,  and  hastened  away.  My  heart 
was  too  full  for  words. 

Early  as  I  expected  to  start  in  the  morning,  I  did 
not  seek  my  bed.  I  could  not  sleep.  Having  bar 
gained  for  my  upstream  passage  with  a  St.  Louis 
friend,  in  command  of  a  keelboat,  I  wandered  out 
and  strolled  through  the  sloping  streets  of  the  town. 
But  even  the  wild  revelry  of  the  rivermen,  for  which 
Natchez  is  so  evilly  noted,  failed  to  win  from  me  more 
than  passing  heed.  My  own  thoughts  were  in  wilder 
turmoil.  In  beside  the  memory  of  the  golden  love- 
glory  which  had  shone  in  her  eyes,  and  fit  mate  to  the 
bitter  disappointment  of  the  loss  that  Don  Pedro's 
entrance  had  cost  me,  there  had  crept  into  my  mind  a 
maddening  doubt  that  I  had  seen  clearly,  —  a  fear 
that  the  glow  in  her  eyes,  the  swaying  of  her  dear 
form  nearer  to  me,  had  been  only  the  fantasies  of  my 
passion. 

Unable  to  endure  the  torment  of  such  doubt,  I  hast 
ened  back,  to  linger  in  the  shadow  beneath  my  lady's 
balcony.  After  a  time,  so  great  was  my  longing,  I 
found  courage  to  murmur  the  refrain  of  a  song  we 
had  sung  together  on  the  river.  I  dared  not  raise  my 
voice  for  fear  Don  Pedro  would  hear  and  divine  my 
purpose,  and  my  low  notes  seemed  lost  in  the  drunken 
ditties  and  outcries  of  the  carousers  in  the  tavern 
taproom. 

An  hour  dragged  by  its  weary  length,  and  no  soft 


An  Revoir  161 

whisper  floated  down  to  me  from  above,  no  graceful 
vision  appeared  at  the  vine-clad  balustrade.  Despair 
settled  heavily  upon  my  heart.  The  cadenced  Spanish 
vowels  died  away  upon  my  lips.  I  turned  to  go.  A 
small  white  object  dropped  lightly  from  above  and 
fell  at  my  feet. 

In  a  trice  my  despair  had  given  place  to  hope  and 
joy  no  less  extravagant.  I  snatched  up  the  message, 
and  rushed  in  to  open  it  before  the  waxen  taper,  in 
the  privacy  of  my  room.  The  wrapping  was  a  lace- 
edged  handkerchief  of  finest  linen,  in  the  corner  of 
which  was  an  embroidered  "  A.  V."  —  my  lady's 
initials. 

But  when  I  opened  it,  thinking  to  find  a  written 
missive,  there  appeared  only  a  great,  sweet-scented 
magnolia  bloom.  Yet  was  not  this  enough?  Was  it 
not  far  more  than  I  had  expected  —  than  had  been 
my  right  to  expect? 

I  held  it  close  before  my  eyes,  my  thoughts  upon 
the  sender,  whose  cheeks  were  still  more  delicate  in 
texture  than  these  creamy  petals.  I  turned  the  blos 
som  around  to  view  its  perfections.  She  had  held  it 
in  her  hand! 

Upon  one  of  the  delicate  petals  faint  lines  had  ap 
peared.  They  darkened  into  clear  letters  under  my 
gaze,  and  those  letters  spelled  "  Au  revoir!  " 


11 


CHAPTER   XIII 

AGAINST   THE   CURRENT 

HAD  I  been  in  funds,  I  should  have  preferred  a 
horse  for  the  up-river  trip.  As  it  was,  I  was 
glad  of  the  opportunity  to  make  the  passage  by  boat 
with  my  friend  the  captain,  and  in  so  doing,  to  earn 
a  pocketful  of  wages.  It  is  not,  however,  a  proceed 
ing  I  should  advise  to  be  undertaken  by  one  who  lacks 
the  strength  and  experience  necessary  for  poling  and 
cordelling. 

At  times,  to  be  sure,  we  were  able  to  relieve  our 
labors  by  an  occasional  resort  to  the  sails,  when  the 
wind  chanced  to  be  fair.  But  in  the  very  nature  of  the 
case,  this  aid  could  never  be  more  than  temporary, 
since  the  windings  of  the  river  were  bound,  sooner 
or  later,  to  make  a  headwind  of  what  had  been  a  fair 
breeze. 

So,  for  the  most  part,  our  voyage  all  the  way  from 
Natchez  to  St.  Louis  meant  one  continuous  round, 
from  morning  till  night,  of  setting  our  poles  at  the 
boat's  prow,  each  in  his  turn,  and  tramping  to  the 
stern  along  the  side  gangways,  or  walking-boards,  — 
there  to  raise  our  poles  and  return  to  the  prow,  to 
repeat  the  laborious  proceeding.  I  can  say  that  keel- 
boat  poling  is  a  splendid  method  of  developing  the 


Against  the  Current  163 

muscles  of  the  back  and  lower  limbs,  provided  the 
man  who  attempts  it  begins  with  a  sufficient  stock 
of  strength  and  endurance  to  carry  him  over  the  first 
week. 

This  does  not  mean  that  I  enjoyed  the  trip.  Soft 
ened  by  my  Winter  in  Washington,  the  first  few  days 
out  of  Natchez  were  as  trying  to  me  as  to  the  regular 
members  of  the  crew  after  their  carousals  and  excesses 
in  New  Orleans  and  Natchez.  Our  boat,  which  had 
come  down  with  a  cargo  of  lead  from  the  mines  about 
St.  Louis,  was  returning  with  a  consignment  of  the 
cheap  calicos  and  the  coarse  broadcloth  called  stroud- 
ing,  which  form  the  basis  of  the  Indian  barter  in  the 
fur  trade;  and  cloth  in  bolts,  closely  stowed,  is  not 
the  lightest  of  cargoes. 

But,  once  we  had  worked  ourselves  into  condition, 
we  shoved  our  craft  upstream  from  daylight  till  night 
fall  at  an  average  speed  of  over  three  miles  an  hour. 
Whenever  the  bank  and  channel  permitted,  we  eased 
our  labor  at  the  poles  by  passing  a  towline  ashore  and 
cordelling  the  boat,  while  our  captain,  one  of  the  best 
on  the  river,  was  ever  alert  to  hoist  sail  with  every 
favorable  breeze. 

If  I  did  not  enjoy  the  voyage,  I  nevertheless  had 
cause  to  feel  thankful  for  the  hard  work  which  held 
my  melancholy  thoughts  in  check  and  sent  me  to  my 
bunk  at  night  so  outspent  that  I  slept  as  soundly  as 
any  man  aboard.  A  man  treading  the  walking-boards, 
bowed  over  his  pole,  may  brood  on  his  troubles  for  a 
week  or  two,  but  none  could  do  so  longer  unless  his 


164  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

system  were  full  of  malaria.  For  the  constant,  vig 
orous  exercise  in  the  open  air  is  bound  to  send  the 
good  red  blood  coursing  through  every  vein  of  the 
body,  until  even  the  most  clouded  brain  must  throw 
off  its  vapors. 

Once  free  from  the  melancholy  which  had  op 
pressed  me  the  first  few  days,  I  gave  most  of  my 
thought  to  the  problem  of  how  I  should  fulfil  my 
vow  to  cross  the  barrier  that  was  so  soon  to  lie  be 
tween  my  lady  and  myself.  My  main  hope  lay  in  the 
possibility  of  obtaining  Lieutenant  Pike's  permission 
to  join  his  expedition  as  a  volunteer.  But  he  was  so 
strict  in  his  adherence  to  the  most  rigid  requirements 
of  his  position  as  an  officer,  that  there  was  grave 
reason  to  doubt  whether  he  would  accept  my  services 
without  an  order  from  the  General. 

There  were  other  plans  to  be  considered,  one  of 
which  was  that  I  should  throw  in  my  fortunes  with 
Senor  Liza  and  his  Creole  fellows.  The  idea  was  dis 
tasteful,  yet,  reflecting  on  what  little  I  had  learned 
of  the  plans  of  Colonel  Burr  and  his  friends,  I  was 
not  so  sure  but  that  Liza's  party  were  quite  as  loyal. 
At  the  least,  I  could  see  no  harm  in  aiding  Liza  to 
carry  a  trading  expedition  into  Santa  Fe.  So  far  as 
my  own  plans  were  concerned,  the  venture  would 
promise  more  at  the  other  end  than  if  I  joined  Pike's 
party.  If  I  reached  that  other  end,  I  should  be  going 
among  the  people  of  New  Spain  in  company  with 
persons  of  their  own  blood. 

There  remained  the  most  desperate  plan  of  all.    I 


Against  the  Current  165 

could  set  out  alone,  and  trust  to  my  unaided  craft 
and  single  rifle  to  carry  me  safe  across  the  hundreds 
of  miles  of  desert  and  the  snowy  mountains  of  which 
Alisanda  had  spoken.  I  had  travelled  the  wilderness 
traces  and  the  trackless  forests  too  often  alone  to 
have  any  fear  of  wild  beasts.  But  there  was  the  un 
certainty  of  being  able  to  kill  enough  meat  to  keep 
from  starving  in  the  Western  wilds,  and  on  the  other 
hand  the  certainty  of  encountering  bands  of  the  little- 
known  Pawnees  and  letans. 

Rather  than  not  go  at  all,  I  was  resolved  to  attempt 
this  desperate  venture.  But  my  plan  was  to  seek  first 
to  attach  myself  to  my  friend's  party,  and,  failing 
that,  to  open  negotiations  with  Liza. 

After  a  brief  stop  at  Kaskaskia,  that  century-old 
trading  post  of  the  French,  we  undertook  the  last 
run  to  St.  Louis  with  much  spirit.  The  greater  part 
of  the  crew  were  eager  to  reach  St.  Louis  in  time  for 
the  celebration  of  Independence  Day.  In  this  we 
were  disappointed,  being  so  set  back  by  headwinds 
that  we  did  not  tie  up  to  the  home  wharf  until  the 
evening  of  the  sixth  of  July. 

My  first  inquiries  relieved  me  of  my  fear  that  Lieu 
tenant  Pike  had  already  started.  He  was  waiting  with 
his  party,  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles  upstream,  at  the 
Cantonment  Belle  Fontaine,  established  the  previous 
year  by  General  Wilkinson.  I  had  already  learned 
at  Kaskaskia  that  the  General  had  passed  us  in  his 
barge  far  down  the  river,  and  had  arrived  in  St. 
Louis  several  days  before  us.  To  this  was  now 


166  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

added  the  news  that  he  had  gone  on  up  to  Belle 
Fontaine. 

Such  an  opportunity  to  meet  the  General  and  my 
friend  together  was  not  to  be  lost.  I  made  my  plans 
over-night  in  St.  Louis,  stored  my  chest,  provided 
myself  with  a  new  hunter's  suit,  and  obtained  letters 
of  recommendation  to  the  General  from  two  gentle 
men  of  influence. 

Dawn  found  me  at  the  convenient  river  front  which 
gives  St.  Louis  such  an  advantage  over  the  other  up- 
river  settlements  of  twice  its  size  and  age.  The  rock 
bank  not  only  prevents  the  incutting  of  the  current, 
but,  owing  to  its  lowness,  gives  easy  access  to  and  from 
the  water,  unlike  the  high  bluffs  upon  which  most  of 
the  settlements  have  been  located. 

Looking  about  for  an  up-river  party,  I  was  so  for 
tunate  as  to  fall  in  with  Mr.  Daniel  Boone,  who  with 
his  son-in-law,  Flanders  Galloway,  had  come  down 
from  La  Charette  with  a  bateau-load  of  furs.  Seeing 
me  in  hunting  dress,  the  old  gentleman  showed  the 
keenest  interest  in  my  intentions,  and  upon  learning 
that  my  immediate  purpose  was  to  reach  Belle  Fon 
taine,  invited  me  aboard  their  bateau. 

On  the  way  upstream  he  made  me  sit  beside  him  in 
the  stern-sheets,  and  his  look  betrayed  such  an  eager 
ness  over  my  plans  that  I  could  not  resist  confiding 
them  to  him.  It  was  sad  to  see  the  youthful  fire  flash 
and  sparkle  in  his  bright  old  eyes,  only  to  dull  and 
fade  to  the  grayness  of  forced  resignation. 

"  My  days  are  past,  John,"  he  said,  in  his  quiet, 


Against  the  Current  167 

almost  gentle  voice.  '  You  have  heard  me  tell  of  the 
trip  I  took  with  your  father  through  the  Choctaw 
nation;  but  I  'm  now  past  my  threescore  years  and 
ten,  lad.  Take  off  the  ten,  and  I  'd  be  with  you  on 
this  traceless  quest  to  the  Spanish  country.  It 's  hard 
to  be  tied  down  to  a  scant  fifty  miles  or  so  of  free 
range.  But  my  old  bones  stiffen  and  call  for  rest 
after  their  wanderings.  I  reckon,  though,  I  Ve  done 
a  man's  share  in  my  time.  Not  that  I  make  any  boast 
of  it;  only  I  feel  that  I  was  an  instrument  in  God's 
providence  to  open  the  wilderness  to  our  people.  I 
feel  it  none  the  less  that  there  were  all  those  others 
before  me.  Captain  Morgan  founded  New  Madrid 
in  sixty- six  —  " 

"  But  that  was  under  Spanish  rule,"  I  exclaimed. 
'*  Yours  was  the  first  of  the  advanced  American  settle 
ments  in  Kentucky.  If  only  I  may  have  a  share  in 
a  like  tracing  of  our  great  Western  plains!  " 

He  gave  me  a  shrewd  glance.  "  You  fear  they 
won't  let  you  go  with  the  expedition.  Why  not  fol 
low  their  trace,  and  join  their  party  in  the  Pawnee 
country?  This  young  lieutenant  is  your  friend,  you 
say.  He  will  be  sure  to  take  you  into  camp." 

Simple  as  was  this  stratagem,  it  had  not  occurred 
to  me  in  all  my  scheming.  Yet  it  was  so  practicable 
that  I  at  once  assured  Mr.  Boone  I  would,  if  need 
were,  carry  out  the  suggestion.  A  few  minutes  later 
he  landed  me  at  Belle  Fontaine,  and  we  parted  with 
a  warm  handshake.  Though  deprived  by  litigation 
of  the  bulk  of  his  Spanish  grant  on  the  Femme 


168  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Osage,  as  he  had  been  in  the  early  nineties  of  his  Ken 
tucky  lands,  Mr.  Boone  remains  one  of  the  most  even- 
tempered  and  kindliest  men  I  know. 

Upon  reaching  the  cantonment,  my  first  intention 
had  been  to  seek  out  General  Wilkinson.  But  within 
a  few  paces  I  caught  sight  of  a  company  of  the  Second 
Infantry  on  parade,  and  one  glance  was  enough  to 
tell  me  that  the  officer  in  command  was  my  friend 
Lieutenant  Pike.  Though  I  could  see  only  his  trim 
back,  there  was  no  mistaking  the  odd  manner  in  which 
he  stood  with  his  head  so  bent  to  the  right  that  the 
tip  of  his  chapeau  touched  his  shoulder. 

Before  many  minutes  he  dismissed  the  company, 
and  turning  about,  saw  me  waiting  within  a  dozen 
paces.  In  another  moment  he  was  grasping  my 
hand,  his  blue  eyes  beaming  and  his  fair  cheeks  flush 
ing  like  a  girl's  beneath  their  sunburn. 

"  Good  fortune,  John!  "  he  cried,  "  I  feared  you 
had  gone  on  down  to  settle  in  New  Orleans.  The 
General  spoke  of  meeting  you  in  Natchez." 

"  Did  he  tell  you  the  cause  of  that  meeting  —  and 
the  outcome?  " 

"  Surely  you  cannot  blame  him!" 

"No,  no,  Montgomery!  —  since  it  was  you  who 
had  forestalled  me! " 

"  Yet  you  must  have  had  your  heart  set  upon  lead 
ing  the  expedition." 

"  It  was  to  obtain  the  leadership  that  I  went  on  to 
Washington." 

"No!" 


Against  the  Current  169 

"  A  wild  goose  chase,  as  you  see.  But,  worst  of  all, 
I  am  now  more  than  ever  anxious  to  go." 

"  Yet  —  even  if  the  General  should  remove  me  —  " 

"  He  would  not  give  the  place  to  me.  Nor  could 
I  ask  your  removal.  Yet  I  must  go  with  you, 
Montgomery!  " 

"  You  are  not  in  the  Service." 

"  I  will  offer  myself  as  a  volunteer." 

"Nothing  could  give  me  greater  pleasure!  And 
we  need  a  surgeon.  Still  —  " 

"  I  am  aware  that  the  General  does  not  regard 
me  with  favor.  Yet  if  you  should  second  my 
application  —  " 

"  By  all  means!  Have  you  met  the  General's  son, 
Lieutenant  James  Wilkinson?"  I  shook  my  head. 
"  Here  he  comes.  I  will  introduce  you.  He  is  my 
second  in  this  expedition.  Stop  and  talk  with  him, 
while  I  see  the  General.  I  will  have  you  on  with  us 
if  it  can  be  done." 

I  turned  and  saw  approaching  a  tall  young  lieu 
tenant  whose  sallow  but  pleasant  face  was  altogether 
unlike  that  of  his  father.  Owing  to  this  and  to  his 
cordial  greeting  when  we  were  introduced,  I  was  able 
to  enter  into  a  lively  conversation  with  him,  while 
my  friend  hastened  away.  A  few  remarks  brought 
us  to  the  subject  of  the  expedition,  and  I  found  the 
Lieutenant  so  agreeable  when  I  intimated  my  desire 
to  volunteer  that  I  ventured  to  ask  his  good  services 
in  the  affair.  To  this  he  very  readily  assented,  and 
upon  the  return  of  my  friend,  held  a  conference  with 


170  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

him,  the  decision  of  which  was  that  I  should  wait  over 
a  day,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  General  had  re 
ceived  Pike's  intervention  in  my  behalf  with  disfavor. 

It  was  an  irksome  wait,  little  as  was  the  time  given 
me  to  brood.  Young  Wilkinson  put  me  up  in  his 
Own  quarters,  but  Mrs.  Pike  insisted  that  I  should 
take  all  my  meals  with  the  family.  I  repaid  this  hos 
pitality  as  best  I  could  by  detailed  descriptions  of  all 
that  I  had  seen  during  my  visit  in  Washington,  which 
proved  no  less  interesting  to  the  Lieutenant  than  to 
Mrs.  Pike.  Also  I  was  able  to  cure  the  children  of  a 
slight  seasonable  indisposition. 

Of  his  own  affairs  my  friend  had  little  to  say.  His 
modesty  and  reserve  prevented  him  from  giving  any 
other  than  the  most  meagre  information  as  to  his 
recent  trip,  while  my  first  inquiry  regarding  the  pres 
ent  expedition  was  met  by  the  prompt  statement  that 
he  was  under  orders  not  to  discuss  it.  The  most  I 
learned  was  that,  with  few  exceptions,  his  party  was 
made  up  of  the  men  who  had  proved  themselves  so 
brave  and  enduring  on  his  Mississippi  trip. 

On  my  part,  I  contrived  to  say  nothing  about  my 
dealings  with  Colonel  Burr,  and  so  little  with  regard 
to  Alisanda  that  not  even  Mrs.  Pike  divined  my  ro 
mance.  This  was  not  that  I  shrank  from  confiding 
in  them.  My  idea  was  to  keep  the  information  as  a 
last  resort,  in  the  event  that  I  should  be  compelled 
to  undertake  the  stratagem  suggested  by  Mr.  Boone. 
The  confession  of  my  love-quest  would  then  add 
strength  to  my  appeal  to  be  taken  into  camp. 


Against  the  Current  171 

Shortly  after  noon  of  the  following  day  Pike 
brought  me  the  welcome  news  that  young  Wilkinson 
advised  an  immediate  call  upon  his  father.  I  hastened 
over  to  headquarters,  and,  upon  sending  in  my  name, 
was  shown  into  the  presence  of  the  General.  He  was 
still  seated  at  table,  and  with  the  same  gesture  that 
dismissed  his  waiter,  waved  me  to  a  seat  across  from 
him. 

"  So,"  he  puffed,  eying  me  curiously,  "  I  under 
stand  that  you  have  reconsidered  the  position  you 
took  at  Natchez." 

"  I  confess,  Your  Excellency,  I  have  become  so  in 
fatuated  with  the  idea  of  this  adventurous  expedition 
that  I  wish  to  join  it,  even  though  in  a  subordinate 
position." 

"Your  reasons?"  he  demanded,  with  unconcealed 
suspicion. 

"  There  is  the  love  of  adventure  for  its  own  sake, 
Your  Excellency.  I  was  born  on  the  frontier.  For 
another  thing,  I  should  perhaps  gain  some  little  stand 
ing  by  reporting  on  the  mineralogical  and  other  scien 
tific  features  encountered  by  the  expedition." 

-  You  would  be  willing  to  give  your  services  as 
surgeon? " 

"Certainly,  sir!" 

He  pushed  across  a  glass  and  his  whiskey  bottle, 
and  I  thought  it  discreet  to  accept  the  invitation.  As 
I  sipped  my  toddy,  he  drew  a  sealed  document  from 
his  pocket,  and  fixed  me  with  what  was  meant  for  a 
penetrating  stare. 


172  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  You  are  willing  to  do  all  within  your  power  to 
further  the  success  of  the  expedition?" 

Though  certain  that  this  covered  something  more 
than  my  medical  services,  I  answered  without  hesi 
tancy:  "  Anything  within  my  power,  sir!  " 

"  Good,"  he  replied,  and  he  nodded.  "  Here  is  a 
question  to  test  that —  Supposing  the  expedition, 
in  exploring  our  unknown  boundaries,  should 
chance  to  find  itself  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Spanish 
settlements  —  " 

I  started,  and  leaned  toward  him,  eager-eyed. 
"  Yes !  "  I  cried.  "  You  mean  —  ?  " 

"By  — !"  he  muttered.  "What  do  you  mean? 
You  're  like  a  hound  on  a  blood  trace !  " 

"  Who  is  not  eager  to  get  at  the  secrets  of  El 
Dorado?  "  I  parried. 

"So?"  he  said.  "I  fear  that  Colonel  Burr  has 
been  plying  you  with  his  harebrained  schemes." 

"  He  spoke  to  me  of  the  Mexican  mines." 
*  You  are  not  the  first  of  his  dupes." 

"Dupe,  sir!  I  thought  that  you  were  yourself 
one  of  his  friends." 

"Friend?  — to  him!"  The  General  swelled  with 
what  seemed  to  me  over-acted  indignation.  "  But 
I  forgive  you  your  ignorance,  sir.  Let  us  return  to 
the  point  under  discussion.  The  question  is,  would 
you,  under  the  supposition  I  have  stated,  be  willing  to 
risk  yourself  among  the  Spaniards?  " 

"  You  mean,  sir,  as  a  spy?  " 

"It  is  a  question  of  patriotism,  sir,  patriotism!" 


Against  the  Current  173 

he  puffed.  "  Though  war  now  seems  averted  for  the 
time  being,  hostilities  may  occur  even  before  this  expe 
dition  can  return.  In  the  event  of  war,  I  need  hardly 
mention  to  you  that  information  bearing  upon  the 
situation  of  the  Spanish  in  their  northern  provinces 
would  be  of  inestimable  value  to  our  country." 

"  Your  Excellency,"  I  said,  "  I  bear  the  Spanish 
authorities  no  love,  and  my  country  much.  I  will 
undertake  what  you  have  mentioned,  so  far  as  lies 
within  my  power." 

"  Lieutenant  Pike  has  assured  me  as  to  your  abili 
ties.  You  speak  French  and  some  Spanish? " 

"  Some  French,  sir;    very  little  Spanish." 

"  Enough  to  serve."  He  took  up  the  document, 
with  its  beribboned  seal.  "  Here  is  a  paper  for  your 
consideration.  It  is  a  claim  upon  the  Spanish  author 
ities,  prepared  according  to  the  treaties  between  the 
United  States  and  Spain.  Two  years  ago  Mr.  Wil 
liam  Morrison  of  Kaskaskia  intrusted  one  Baptiste 
Le  Lande  with  a  large  stock  of  trade  goods  for  barter 
among  the  Western  tribes.  According  to  reports 
which  have  lately  come  to  Mr.  Morrison  through  the 
Indians,  Le  Lande  has  reached  Santa  Fe  and  there 
settled,  without  intention  of  accounting  for  the  prop 
erty  intrusted  to  him." 

"  I  understand,  Your  Excellency,"  said  I.  "  This 
claim  is  to  serve  as  a  cloak  for  my  spying." 

"  No  need  to  use  so  harsh  a  term,"  he  mumbled. 

"It  is  the  term  the  Spanish  authorities  will  use  if 
they  detect  me,"  I  answered. 


174  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  We  are  at  peace  with  Spain.  I  reached  a  good 
understanding  with  General  Herrera  before  coming 
up  the  river.  There  will  be  no  hostilities  for  some 
months,  at  the  least.  The  Spaniards  will  not  dare 
to  resort  to  extremes  against  you." 

"  Their  authorities  bear  us  no  love,"  I  rejoined. 
:<  Those  in  so  remote  a  province  as  Nuevo  Mexico 
may  well  argue  that  it  will  be  quite  safe  to  hang  a 
spy,  war  or  no  war." 

He  took  up  the  document,  with  a  frown.  "  Then 
you  do  not  care  to  venture  it?  " 

'  Your  Excellency  mistakes  me.  I  wish  merely  to 
point  out  the  risk.  In  my  opinion,  the  danger  could 
be  no  greater  if  hostilities  had  already  begun." 

"  And  if  I  admit  the  risk?  "  he  demanded. 

"  It  is,  in  a  sense,  a  military  service.  Supposing 
it  successful,  is  it  not  Your  Excellency's  opinion 
that  a  recommendation  to  a  commission  might  be  in 
order?" 

He  studied  me  for  some  moments.  Then :  "  A 
commission  as  a  subaltern  —  possibly." 

"  Sir,  I  could  obtain  that  by  means  of  a  little  politi 
cal  begging.  I  had  in  mind  a  captaincy." 

"Captaincy!"  he  repeated,  taken  aback  by  my 
audacity.  "  Captaincy!  That  is  beyond  all  reason." 

"  Yet  if  I  succeed  beyond  reason  — ?  " 

"  In  such  event  —  But  let  that  wait  until  your 
return." 

"  If  ever  I  do  return,"  I  added. 

"  True ;   but  you  can  thank  yourself  that  you  are 


Against  the  Current  175 

thrusting  your  head  into  the  noose,  with  your  eyes 
open." 

"  Then  Your  Excellency  gives  me  leave  to  join  as  a 
volunteer? " 

"  We  shall  see  —  we  shall  see." 

"But,  Your  Excellency,  a  man  likes  time  for 
preparations." 

"  That  is  your  own  affair,  sir,  —  though  I  may  say 
that,  at  present,  I  feel  disposed  to  grant  you  the  favor. 
I  shall  let  you  know  in  good  time." 

With  this  I  was  forced  to  be  content.  The  General 
rose  to  enter  his  office,  with  a  pompous  gesture  of 
dismissal. 

But  upon  my  return  to  my  friend's  quarters,  he 
and  Mrs.  Pike  and  Lieutenant  Wilkinson  joined  in 
assuring  me  that,  since  the  General  had  not  refused  me 
point  blank,  I  had  every  reason  to  expect  a  favorable 
decision. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE   LURE 

IT  was  well  in  line  with  the  General's  character  that 
he  kept  me  on  tenterhooks  until  the  very  after 
noon  before  the  intended  day  of  marching.  Then,  as 
it  were  at  the  eleventh  hour,  he  included  in  his  written 
orders  to  Lieutenant  Pike,  to  march  the  following 
day,  a  brief  paragraph  to  the  effect  that  I  was  to  ac 
company  the  expedition  as  a  volunteer  surgeon. 

Notwithstanding  the  orders  of  the  General,  we  did 
not  start  in  the  morning,  but  were  forced  to  wait  over 
until  the  fifteenth  of  July,  owing  to  the  unreadiness 
of  our  savage  charges,  the  Osage  captives  who  had 
been  rescued  from  the  Pottawattomies  and  who  were 
to  be  returned  to  their  people  under  our  escort. 

The  first  stage  of  our  journey,  up  the  devious 
Osage  River,  was  one  tedious  to  all  and  exceedingly 
laborious  to  those  whose  duties  confined  them  to  the 
navigation  of  the  boats.  In  confirmation  I  need  only 
add  that  the  Summer  was  fast  nearing  its  close  before 
we  arrived  at  the  Osage  towns. 

There,  instead  of  the  generosity  which  we  had  a 
right  to  expect  from  an  Indian  tribe  to  whom  we  had 
restored  so  many  members,  we  were  delayed  many 
days  by  their  ungrateful  reluctance  to  supply  us 


The  Lure  177 

with  horses,  and  in  the  end  obtained  with  great 
est  difficulty  only  a  few  of  their  least  desirable 
animals. 

Yet,  relieved  of  the  boats  and  our  Indian  charges 
and  possessed  of  these  few  pack-beasts  and  saddle 
horses,  our  march  on  toward  the  Pawnee  Republic, 
when  at  last  we  did  get  under  way  again,  soon  carried 
us  into  the  prairie  which  lies  westward  of  the  three- 
hundred-mile  belt  of  half-forested  lands  along  the 
Mississippi.  We  had  come  to  that  vast  extent  of 
desert  plains  which,  though  abounding  in  game,  is 
all  but  destitute  of  timber.  In  consequence  of  this 
fact,  young  Wilkinson  and  I  agreed  with  Pike  that 
the  arid  waste  is  destined  to  serve  forever  as  the  West 
ern  boundary  of  the  Republic's  settled  population. 

About  the  middle  of  September  I  was  sent  on 
ahead  of  the  party  to  the  Pawnee  Republic,  accom 
panied  by  a  young  Pawnee  called  Frank,  one  of 
the  half-dozen  of  his  people  attached  to  the  expedi 
tion  at  St.  Louis.  We  were  well  mounted,  and  trav 
elled  rapidly  in  a  northwesterly  direction,  across  the 
lower  fork  of  the  Kansas  River  and  the  three  branches 
which  flow  into  the  Republican  Fork  from  the  south 
and  west. 

At  first  we  kept  a  sharp  outlook  for  hunting  and 
war  parties  of  the  Kans,  who  at  the  time  were  not 
on  the  best  of  terms  with  their  cousins  the  Osages. 
But  throughout  our  trip  we  saw  nothing  more  dan 
gerous  than  the  numerous  panthers  which  thrive  on 

the  superabundant  game.    Though  bold,  these  tawny 

12 


178  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

beasts  were  too  well  fed  to  trouble  us.  The  same  was 
true  of  the  gray  wolves,  a  small  pack  of  which  fol 
lowed  us  day  after  day  to  feast  upon  the  carcasses 
of  the  buffaloes  we  killed. 

Evening  of  the  fourth  day  brought  us  into  the 
vicinity  of  the  Pawnee  Republic.  We  were  riding 
along  over  a  broken,  hilly  country,  and  my  savage 
companion  was  telling  me,  in  a  mixture  of  bad  French 
and  worse  English,  that  we  should  soon  come  within 
sight  of  the  Republican  Fork  and  his  home  village, 
when  suddenly  we  rode  into  a  broad  track  which  could 
only  have  been  made  by  a  large  body  of  horsemen, 
over  two  hundred  at  the  very  least. 

"Hold!"  I  cried,  reining  up  and  pointing  at  the 
signs.  "  Look.  Many  people  went  south,  on  horses, 
two  or  three  weeks  ago.  Your  people?  They  have 
gone  to  the  Arkansas?  " 

"  Non!  "  grunted  Frank,  and  leaping  off,  he  caught 
up  and  handed  to  me  a  tent  pin.  "Pawnee?  non! 
Stick  no  grow  in  Pawnee  hunting-ground.  White 
man's  knife  cut  him.  Vollal  " 

:<  White  man!  "  I  repeated  in  amazement. 

How  was  it  possible  that  there  could  have  been  so 
large  a  party  of  white  men  traversing  this  remote 
wilderness?  As  I  sat  staring  at  the  wooden  pin, 
studying  its  grain  and  shape,  Frank  circled  around 
through  the  beaten  grass  in  search  of  further  signs. 
A  guttural  cry  from  him  compelled  my  attention. 

He  was  holding  up  a  broken  spur. 

"Espana!"  he  called. 


The  Lure  179 

One  glance  was  enough  to  convince  me  that  he  was 
not  mistaken.  The  spur  was  of  Spanish  make. 

More  puzzled  than  ever,  we  clapped  heels  to  our 
horses,  and  galloped  up  the  track,  which  Frank 
declared  led  direct  from  the  village.  Within  a  few 
minutes  we  topped  a  line  of  high  hills,  and  found 
ourselves  looking  down  into  the  valley  of  the  Repub 
lican  and  upon  the  rounded  roofs  of  the  big  Pawnee 
lodges. 

One  look  was  enough  to  relieve  our  fears  regarding 
the  safety  of  the  village.  I  had  never  seen  a  more 
peaceful-appearing  Indian  town.  The  women  were 
at  work  dressing  buffalo  robes  near  the  lodges  or 
harvesting  their  corn  and  pumpkins  in  the  little 
patches  of  field  near-by.  The  children  were  scattered 
far  and  wide,  the  girls  playing  with  their  puppies  or 
tagging  their  mothers,  the  boys  practising  with  bows 
and  arrows  or  watching  the  hoop-and-pole  games  of 
the  few  men  who  were  to  be  seen.  The  young  war 
riors,  probably,  were  off  on  hunting  or  war  parties, 
and  of  the  men  who  remained  in  the  village,  most 
were  dozing  in  their  lodges  or  lolling  in  the  shade 
outside. 

But  I  did  not  look  long  at  the  savages.  My  eye 
was  almost  immediately  caught  by  a  red-and-yellow 
flag  afloat  above  the  front  of  the  great  council-lodge. 
Even  at  that  distance  I  could  not  fail  to  recognize  it 
as  the  flag  of  Spain.  So  astonished  was  I  at  the  sight 
that  I  drew  up  short,  unable  to  credit  my  eyes.  The 
flag  solved  the  mystery  of  the  track,  only  to  raise  the 


180  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

puzzling  question  of  the  presence  of  so  large  a  body 
of  Spaniards  at  so  great  a  distance  from  their  present 
boundaries. 

A  loud  shouting  and  commotion  in  the  village 
roused  me  from  my  bewilderment.  We  had  been 
sighted.  The  women  and  children  were  fleeing  to 
the  lodges,  and  all  the  men  capable  of  bearing  arms 
were  advancing  toward  us,  with  threatening  guns  and 
bows  and  lances.  However,  Frank  at  once  made  the 
wolf-ear  sign  which  showed  them  that  he  was  a 
Pawnee,  while  I  held  up  the  wampum  belt  intrusted 
to  me  by  Pike.  A  moment  later  Frank  was  recog 
nized,  and  the  news  shouted  back  to  the  village. 

At  the  same  time  the  men,  both  mounted  and  afoot, 
charged  down  upon  us,  whooping  and  piercing  the 
air  with  their  shrill  war  whistle  and  flourishing  their 
weapons  as  if  about  to  tear  us  to  pieces.  A  man 
unused  to  Indians,  no  matter  how  brave,  might  well 
have  trembled  at  finding  himself  thus  confronted  by 
hundreds  of  yelling,  half-naked  savages.  The  Paw 
nee  warriors  are  particularly  formidable-looking, 
being  tall  and  well  shaped,  and  their  height  accentu 
ated  by  the  bristling  roach  of  short  hair  which  runs 
back  over  their  shaven  heads  to  the  feathered  scalp- 
lock.  I  was,  however,  too  well  versed  in  the  Indian 
character  either  to  show  or  to  feel  any  trepidation. 

As  the  wild  band  closed  about  us  in  mock  attack, 
a  stately  warrior  whom  Frank  said  was  Characterish, 
or  White  Wolf,  the  grand  chief  of  the  nation,  forced 
his  horse  through  the  mob  and  greeted  me  with  a  gut- 


The  Lure  181 

tural  "  Eon  jour! "  Upon  my  return  of  the  salute, 
he  invited  me  to  his  lodge.  This  was  gratifying,  for 
I  could  see  by  the  Spanish  grand  medal  he  wore  sus 
pended  from  his  neck  that  he  had  been  particularly 
favored  by  the  Spaniards,  and  so  might  very  well 
have  felt  ill-disposed  toward  all  Americans. 

When  we  advanced,  escorted  by  the  warriors,  we 
were  met  by  all  the  rest  of  the  population,  running 
and  shouting  and  leaping  with  excitement  at  the 
arrival  of  their  fellow-tribesman  and  the  white  man. 
But  at  a  word  from  Characterish,  not  only  the  women 
and  children  but  the  warriors  as  well  quitted  their 
clamor  and  gave  us  free  passage  into  the  village. 

Unlike  the  mat  and  slab  lodges  of  the  Osages,  the 
Pawnee  houses  are  substantial  structures.  Their 
wattled  walls  and  grassed  roof,  supported  by  a  double 
circle  of  posts,  are  covered  with  a  thick  layer  of  sods 
and  earth  above  and  over  all.  This  makes  them  cool 
in  Summer  and  warm  in  cold  weather;  yet,  like  the 
Osages,  the  Pawnees  always  move  down  into  the 
timbers  for  the  Winter. 

Arriving  at  the  lodge  of  White  Wolf,  I  was  shown 
in  through  the  covered  portico  which  gave  the  lodge 
quite  the  aspect  of  a  civilized  home.  Within  I  found 
the  chief's  wives  and  men-servants  busily  cooking  a 
meal  for  us  on  the  fire  in  the  middle  of  the  wide  pit 
which  occupied  the  greater  part  of  the  lodge's  interior. 
That  there  might  be  no  doubt  of  his  hospitality,  the 
chief  at  once  assigned  to  me  one  of  the  snug  little  cur 
tained  compartments  built  against  the  wall,  around 


182  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

the  edge  of  the  pit.  My  room  was  in  the  place  of 
honor,  beneath  the  sacred  medicine  bundle,  on  the 
far  side  of  the  lodge. 

By  the  time  I  had  my  rifle  and  saddle  stowed  away, 
the  chief's  cook,  a  maimed  old  warrior,  called  us  to 
come  and  eat.  I  sat  down  with  my  host  and  his  two 
sons  to  a  none  too  savory  stew  of  dried  buffalo  meat, 
thickened  with  pumpkin.  To  this  was  added  a  mess 
of  corn  cooked  in  buffalo  grease.  But  a  prairie  trav 
eller  is  seldom  troubled  with  a  dainty  stomach,  and 
I  managed  to  compliment  my  host  by  making  a 
hearty  meal  of  it. 

As  soon  as  we  had  eaten,  White  Wolf  sent  out  a 
crier  to  call  in  the  chiefs  and  a  few  of  the  foremost 
warriors  of  the  village.  They  seated  themselves  with 
us  in  a  circle,  and  the  head  chief's  calumet  was  passed 
around  without  any  man  refusing  to  smoke. 

When  the  pipe  came  back  around  to  White  Wolf, 
he  addressed  me  in  Pawnee,  which  was  interpreted  by 
Frank:  "Let  the  white  man  speak;  tell  why  he 
come  Pawnee  terre." 

I  held  up  the  wampum  belt,  and  answered  briefly : 
"  I  come  in  friendship  from  the  war  chief  of  the  great 
white  father  at  Washington." 

"  Ugh!  Washington!  "  grunted  the  least  stolid  of 
the  warriors.  Even  these  remote  prairie  savages 
knew  that  illustrious  name. 

"  —  From  the  war  chief  sent  by  the  high  chief  of 
my  people  to  bring  gifts  and  peace  to  the  Pawnee 
people,"  I  continued.  "  It  is  his  wish  that  you  send 


The  Lure  183 

out  your  young  men  to  guide  him  to  your  town  as 
a  guest." 

As  Frank  interpreted  this  I  thought  I  could  detect 
a  shade  of  change  beneath  the  stolid  look  of  the  grim 
warriors.  What  was  still  more  ominous,  when  the  pipe 
was  passed  around  the  second  time,  no  one  smoked. 
But  when  it  came  back  to  White  Wolf,  after  some 
delay  and  hesitation,  he  smoked,  and  thereupon  an 
nounced  laconically:  "I  go  —  heap  grand  comp'ny 
meet  white  capitan." 

Again  the  pipe  was  started  around.  It  was  taken 
by  one  of  the  sub-chiefs.  When  he  had  smoked,  he 
rose  majestically,  and,  drawing  up  his  buffalo  robe 
about  his  naked  body,  pointed  dramatically  to  the 
westward.  There  could  be  no  mistaking  the  menace 
in  his  terse,  guttural  declamation. 

I  looked  to  Frank,  who  explained,  with  evident 
trepidation:  "He  Pitaleshar,  grand  war  chief.  He 
say :  '  'Merican  white  braves  no  go  to  setting  sun ; 
no  march  over  Pawnee  hunting-grounds.  Espana 
chief  grand  —  heap  big ;  Pawnees  grand  —  heap  big ; 
'Merican  soldiers  non! '  Voilal  Comprenez-vous?  " 

"That's  to  be  seen!"  I  muttered.  "Tell  them: 
What  the  white  chief  will  do  is  for  him  to  say  when 
he  comes." 

Whatever  impression  this  made,  none  present  gave 
any  sign,  and  the  emptying  of  the  ashes  of  the  sacred 
calumet  by  White  Wolf's  pipe-bearer  brought  the 
council  to  an  end. 

As  it  was  now  close  upon  sunset,  and  I  was  greatly 


184  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

wearied  from  my  long  journey,  I  at  once  sought  my 
fur-padded  couch  in  the  rear  of  the  lodge,  and  gave 
myself  over  to  profound  slumber. 

Upon  wakening,  I  was  astonished  to  find  that  the 
sun  was  well  up  the  sky,  and  that  White  Wolf  and 
Iskatappe,  the  second  chief  of  the  town,  had  already 
set  out,  with  a  large  party,  to  meet  the  expedition. 
The  old  warrior  cook,  who  had  been  left  to  attend  me, 
and  who  spoke  a  little  French,  went  on  to  explain 
that  Frank,  having  like  myself  been  found  asleep,  had 
also  been  left  undisturbed.  At  this  I  hurriedly  bolted 
my  buffalo  stew,  and  stepped  outside  the  lodge,  in 
tending  to  look  for  Frank. 

But  as  I  paused  before  the  entrance  of  the  huge 
council-lodge  to  glance  about  and  drink  in  the  pure, 
sunny  air,  the  flapping  of  the  Spanish  flag  in  the 
morning  breeze  compelled  my  attention. 

The  first  glimpse  of  those  red  and  yellow  folds  was 
sufficient  to  catch  and  hold  my  gaze.  They  spoke  to 
me  of  my  lady  —  of  my  Alisanda !  —  and  of  the 
tyrannical  power  of  that  Government  whose  hatred 
of  foreigners  interposed  between  us  a  barrier  harder 
to  pass  than  the  snowy  sierras  of  which  she  had  told 
me.  Such  at  least  was  the  dread  that  seized  upon  me 
as  I  gazed  up  at  that  symbol  of  lust  for  gold  and 
blood. 

Presently,  as  I  yet  stared  at  the  mocking  banner, 
my  glance  was  caught  by  a  little  tracing  of  white 
lines  on  the  outer  corner.  Prompted  by  idle  curiosity, 
—  or  it  may  have  been  by  an  unconscious  premoni- 


The  Lure  185 

tion,  —  I  waited  until  a  lull  in  the  breeze  brought  the 
flag  drooping  down  within  my  reach.  I  grasped  it 
to  look  closer  at  the  tracing. 

Whether  I  stood  gaping  at  that  little  sign  for  a  few 
brief  seconds  or  many  minutes  I  cannot  say.  I  was 
too  overcome  with  wonder  and  delight  to  sense  the 
passage  of  time.  All  I  can  say  is  that,  rousing  at  last 
to  action,  I  slashed  off  the  corner  of  the  flag  with  my 
knife  and  thrust  it  into  my  bosom. 

The  tracing  was  a  duplicate  of  that  upon  the  lace 
handkerchief  which,  wrapped  about  a  withered  mag 
nolia  blossom,  I  carried  in  an  inner  pocket  of  my 
hunting-shirt.  It  consisted  of  two  letters  embroidered 
in  white  silk,  and  those  two  letters  were  —  "A.  V." 

What  a  volume  of  joyous  news  those  few  stitches 
of  dainty  needlework  conveyed  to  me !  My  lady  had 
arrived  at  Chihuahua  before  the  starting  of  the  Span 
ish  expedition;  she  had  known  at  least  something  of 
the  plans  of  the  Spanish  commander,  and  she  had 
placed  her  initials  upon  the  flag  as  a  message  to  me 
should  I  be  attempting  to  cross  the  barrier  and  chance 
to  meet  her  countrymen. 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE   PAWNEE   PERIL 

THE  escort  party  led  by  White  Wolf  returned 
three  or  four  days  after  their  start,  but  without 
the  expedition.  They  had  gone  almost  due  east, 
which  had  brought  them  north  of  our  party.  Great 
was  their  disgust  when  Frank  explained  how,  when 
leaving  the  Osage  villages,  our  Osage  guides,  in  their 
dread  of  the  Kans,  had  led  our  party  far  around  to 
the  south  of  the  direct  course. 

At  once  Frank  was  sent  out  with  two  or  three  other 
runners  on  the  right  track,  and  by  forenoon  of  the 
next  day  one  of  the  scouts  came  back  with  word  that 
the  others  were  bringing  in  the  Americans.  Imme 
diately  the  chiefs  rode  out  with  all  the  warriors,  to 
receive  the  visitors  in  state.  The  ceremonies  opened 
with  a  mock  charge,  during  which  the  balls  from  the 
old  fusils  and  trade  guns  of  the  savages  flew  about 
far  too  promiscuously  for  comfort.  There  followed 
a  horse-smoke,  in  which  some  of  the  Pawnees  pre 
sented  ponies  to  the  few  Osages  with  the  party. 

After  this  White  Wolf  shook  hands  with  Pike,  and 
invited  him  and  myself  to  dine  at  his  lodge.  We  did 
so,  while  Wilkinson  marched  the  party  on  across  the 
river  to  a  strong  position  on  a  hill. 


The  Pawnee  Peril  187 

This  welcome  to  the  village  could  not  have  been 
more  ceremonious  and  friendly.  But  a  few  days  later, 
when  we  met  the  chiefs  and  warriors  in  grand  council, 
the  situation  took  on  a  much  less  favorable  aspect. 
Lieutenant  Pike  effected  a  burial  of  the  hatchet  be 
tween  the  Osages  and  three  or  four  Kans  warriors 
who  had  come  down  from  their  village  on  the  Kansas 
River.  He  then  distributed  honorary  presents  and  a 
quantity  of  goods  to  the  Pawnee  chiefs,  explaining 
that  President  Jefferson  was  now  their  great  father, 
instead  of  the  Spanish  Governor- General  Salcedo, 
and  that  he  had  been  sent  with  these  gifts  to  show 
the  good-will  of  their  new  father. 

The  Pawnees  accepted  the  presents  readily  enough, 
but  I  doubt  if  they  either  understood  or  cared  about 
the  transfer  of  Louisiana  Territory.  To  them  the 
prairies,  —  north,  south,  east,  and  west,  —  were  their 
own  land  so  far  as  their  guns  and  bows  could  hold 
back  the  other  prairie  tribes.  Judging  from  what 
little  they  knew  of  the  two  rival  nations  of  white  men, 
they  had  better  reasons  to  turn  to  the  Spaniards  than 
to  us,  for  the  Mexican  expedition  had  come  among 
them  with  a  force  fifteen  times  greater  than  our  little 
band. 

Yet  in  the  face  of  this  disadvantage,  Pike  was  de 
termined  to  press  home  his  point  to  the  great  ring 
of  chiefs  and  headmen  which  encircled  us  and  to  the 
crowds  of  younger  warriors  without.  Owing  to  the 
great  number  who  had  wished  to  share  in  the  council 
or  to  witness  the  proceedings,  we  had  met  in  the  open 


188  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

space  before  the  entrance  of  the  council-lodge.  Stand 
ing  thus  in  the  midst  of  the  hundreds  of  red  warriors, 
with  none  but  Wilkinson,  myself,  and  Baroney  the 
interpreter  to  back  him,  Pike  turned  and  pointed  to 
the  Spanish  flag. 

"  Men  of  the  Pawnee  nation,  how  comes  that  flag 
here?  "  he  demanded.  "  Is  that  the  flag  of  your  father 
in  Washington,  from  whose  people  you  receive  in 
barter  all  your  guns  and  powder  and  lead,  your  stroud- 
ing  and  beads?  No!  it  is  the  flag  of  a  far-off  chief, 
who  lives  beyond  your  deadly  foes,  the  letans.  This 
land  is  no  longer  under  his  hand;  that  flag  has  no 
right  to  float  over  these  prairies.  Take  it  down  and 
give  it  to  me." 

"  It  is  a  gift  to  us  from  those  other  white  men,"  pro 
tested  White  Wolf. 

"  It  is  the  flag  of  a  people  who  have  no  right  in  this 
land,"  rejoined  Pike,  and  he  unrolled  the  glorious 
Stars  and  Stripes  which  he  held  in  his  hand.  "  Chiefs 
and  men  of  the  Pawnee  Republic,  this  is  the  flag  of 
your  great  father.  I  command  you  to  hand  over  that 
flag  of  Spain  to  me  and  raise  instead  the  banner  of  my 
chief!" 

At  this  audacious  demand,  even  the  stolidity  of  the 
chiefs  could  not  hide  their  concern,  and  the  warriors 
began  to  mutter  and  scowl.  Yet  Pike  stood  stern  and 
resolute,  awaiting  the  answer.  After  a  full  minute, 
one  of  the  older  warriors  rose,  took  our  flag,  and 
going  to  the  lodge,  raised  it  in  the  place  of  the  Spanish 
banner,  which  he  handed  to  Pike.  At  this  I  am  not 


The  Pawnee  Peril  189 

ashamed  to  confess  that  inwardly  we  all  breathed  a 
sigh  of  relief.  I  say  inwardly,  for  it  was  no  time  to 
show  other  than  a  bold  front. 

The  Pawnees  were  not  so  successful  in  the  con 
cealment  of  their  feelings.  It  was  all  too  evident  from 
their  looks  that  they  were  in  deadly  fear  that  this 
insult  to  the  Spanish  flag  would  bring  upon  them  the 
vengeance  of  the  white  men  of  the  Southwest.  For 
it  seems  the  Spanish  leader  had  told  them  his  people 
would  return  the  following  year  in  great  numbers,  to 
build  a  large  town.  But  Pike,  having  gained  his 
point,  relieved  their  fears  by  at  once  returning  the 
flag,  under  condition  that  it  should  not  again  be  raised 
during  our  stay. 

Throughout  this  exchange  of  colors,  my  apprehen 
sions  of  a  treacherous  outbreak  had  not  prevented  me 
from  watching  for  some  one  to  discover  and  remark 
upon  the  tattered  corner  of  the  Spanish  banner.  But 
if  it  was  noticed  at  all,  the  mutilation  was  probably 
laid  to  the  thieving  hand  of  some  young  brave  who 
might  have  thought  himself  in  need  of  a  bit  of  bright 
cloth. 

Pike  now  stated  the  wish  of  the  great  father  at 
Washington  that  the  Pawnee  chiefs  should  make 
him  a  visit,  in  company  with  a  few  of  their  Kans 
brothers.  To  this  White  Wolf  replied  that  the  matter 
would  be  considered.  Next  Pike  explained  that  he 
wished  to  secure  the  services  of  one  of  their  letan, 
or  Comanche,  prisoners,  to  act  as  interpreter  on  our 
westward  trip;  also  that  he  wished  to  barter  for  sev- 


190  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

eral  good  horses.  Again  White  Wolf  replied  that 
the  wishes  of  the  white  chief  would  be  considered. 
With  that  the  council  rose. 

There  followed  some  days  of  anxious  waiting,  dur 
ing  which  our  savage  hosts  suddenly  took  on  a  hostile 
attitude.  In  the  end  we  were  given  to  understand  that 
they  would  not  comply  with  any  of  our  requests,  but 
on  the  contrary  would  seek  to  prevent  our  marching 
on  westward,  according  to  their  agreement  with  the 
Spaniards. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  the  stress  and  anxiety  caused 
by  this  delay  and  the  menacing  actions  of  the  Paw 
nees,  that  we  received  from  two  French  traders  the 
joyful  news  how  Lewis  and  Clark  had  brought  their 
expedition  safely  back  from  the  far  Pacific,  and 
should  by  now  have  gone  on  down  the  Missouri  to  St. 
Louis. 

A  few  days  later,  near  the  beginning  of  the  second 
week  in  October,  having  at  last  secured  a  few  miser 
able  horses  out  of  the  splendid  herds  of  the  Pawnees, 
we  struck  our  tents  and  packed  for  the  march.  It 
was  a  ticklish  moment,  for  there  was  not  a  man  among 
us  who  did  not  fear  that  noon  might  find  our  scalps 
dangling  above  the  Pawnee  lodges.  Our  little  party, 
barely  over  a  score,  all  told,  was  about  to  defy  the 
power  of  an  Indian  town  which  numbered  over  five 
hundred  warriors. 

For  the  first  time  since  our  start  at  Belle  Fontaine 
I  had  occasion  to  observe  the  mettle  of  our  eighteen 
soldiers.  Not  one  among  them  required  the  admoni- 


The  Pawnee  Peril  191 

tions  of  the  lieutenants  to  ram  full  charges  into  their 
muskets,  to  fix  bayonets,  and  look  to  their  priming. 
I  was  no  less  ready,  having  provided  myself  with  a 
sabre,  in  addition  to  my  rifle  and  tomahawk  and  brace 
of  duelling  pistols.  I  told  Pike  that  I  did  not  con 
sider  myself  bound  by  his  orders  to  reserve  fire,  in 
the  event  of  an  attack,  until  the  enemy  were  within 
half  a  dozen  paces.  After  a  little  argument  on  the 
point,  he  consented  that  I  should  seek  out  their  chiefs 
with  my  rifle  the  moment  the  savages  commenced 
hostilities.  With  Indians,  no  less  than  with  whites, 
it  is  good  strategy  to  pick  off  those  in  command  at  the 
beginning  of  an  engagement. 

By  way  of  explanation  of  what  followed,  it  is  as 
well  to  state  that  during  the  night  two  of  our  horses 
had  been  stolen  by  our  light-fingered  neighbors,  and 
though  one  had  at  once  been  delivered  up  when  we 
sent  over  to  the  village,  the  other  was  still  missing. 
As  we  fell  in  about  the  pack  horses,  I  saw  Pike  turn 
back  to  address  a  question  to  young  John  Sparks, 
his  waiter.  The  bright-eyed  lad  saluted  and  stepped 
out,  with  evident  eagerness,  to  mount  one  of  the  led 
horses.  Pike  signed  him  to  take  position  at  the  head 
of  our  little  column,  and  himself  rode  forward  with 
Baroney. 

The  moment  they  reached  the  van,  he  gave  the 
order  to  march,  and  we  swung  away  down  the  hill 
toward  the  river.  Across  in  the  village  we  could  see 
that  the  savages  had  made  preparations  which  bore 
out  in  most  menacing  fashion  their  threats  to  oppose 


192  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

our  march  westward.  Every  woman  and  child  had 
been  sent  away  during  the  night  or  else  hidden  in  the 
lodges.  This  of  itself  was  a  most  ominous  sign.  But 
that  was  the  least  of  it.  All  about  the  lodges  we  could 
see  swarms  of  warriors,  armed  with  guns,  bows,  and 
lances,  while  here  and  there  one  of  the  naked  young 
braves  showed  the  hideous  black  and  vermilion  mark 
ings  of  the  war  paint. 

But  if  the  savages  thought  to  awe  and  turn  us  back 
by  this  warlike  display,  they  were  never  so  mistaken. 
The  Osages  had  slipped  off  at  dawn,  with  the  expla 
nation  that  they  wished  to  hunt,  and  would  join  us 
later  in  the  day.  None  of  our  men  wished  to  hunt. 
They  swung  along  down  the  slope  as  steadily  as  on 
parade,  some  of  the  younger  ones  a  trifle  flushed,  some 
of  the  older  a  shade  paler  beneath  their  tan  and  sun 
burn.  Sergeant  Ballenger  marched  along  as  stiff  as 
his  ramrod.  Sergeant  Meek  rocked  a  little  in  his  step 
from  sheer  exuberance  of  feeling  over  the  prospect  of 
a  fight.  His  grim,  scarred  face  fairly  glowed. 

We  came  down  to  the  river  bank  a  little  above  the 
town,  and  crossed  over  without  breaking  column, 
those  on  foot  holding  their  muskets  and  powder  horns 
well  up  above  the  water.  When  all  were  across,  com 
mand  was  given  to  halt  and  look  to  the  primings. 
Again  the  order  was  given  to  close  up  and  march. 
We  swung  steadily  up  the  bank,  but  obliquely,  that 
we  might  pass  by  the  village.  Already  we  could  see 
every  movement  of  the  savages,  who  swarmed  over 
to  the  near  side  of  the  village,  waving  their  buffalo- 


The  Pawnee  Peril  193 

hide  shields  and  their  weapons  and  shouting  insults 
at  us.  Once  or  twice  we  heard  the  shrill  Pawnee  war 
whistle.  In  the  midst  of  this  wild  uproar,  when  we 
were  directly  opposite  the  upper  side  of  the  village, 
Pike  wheeled  and  raised  his  hand. 

"  Halt!  "  he  shouted.  "  Stand  ready  to  repel  at 
tack  according  to  orders.  Baroney,  Sparks,  follow!  " 

Wheeling  again,  he  galloped  straight  at  the  yelling 
mob  of  savages,  followed  closely  by  Baroney  and 
Sparks.  The  Pawnees  trained  their  guns  upon  him 
and  levelled  their  lances.  Without  checking  the  pace 
of  his  horse,  he  held  out  his  bare  palm  to  them.  They 
opened  their  ranks  to  let  pass  the  three  mad  white  men, 
and  closed  quickly  in  their  rear.  But  Pike  and  his  two 
followers  galloped  on  without  check  until  they  came 
to  the  lodge  of  White  Wolf. 

We  now  perceived  that  the  head  chief  was  standing 
before  the  entrance  of  the  lodge,  wrapped  about  in  his 
buffalo  robe;  but  whether  or  not  he  held  his  weapons 
concealed  beneath  the  cloak  we  could  not  tell.  He 
waved  back  with  a  grand  gesture  the  warriors  who 
would  have  crowded  around,  and  stood  like  a  statue 
while  Pike,  sitting  his  horse  no  less  calm  and  impas 
sive,  addressed  him  with  the  aid  of  Baroney. 

The  savages,  yet  more  astonished  than  ourselves  at 
this  strange  parley,  for  the  most  part  turned  to  stare 
at  the  mad  white  chief  who  had  so  dauntlessly  ridden 
into  their  very  midst.  We  had  looked  to  see  them  in 
stantly  fling  themselves  upon  our  three  lone  comrades 
and  massacre  them  before  our  eyes.  In  anticipation 

13 


194  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

of  the  murder,  more  than  one  among  us  picked  his 
man  for  reprisals,  Wilkinson  singling  out  Pitaleshar, 
the  war  chief,  while  I  drew  a  bead  on  White  Wolf. 
Iskatappe  was  not  to  be  seen. 

The  very  air  seemed  to  tingle  with  that  feeling 
which  thrills  a  man's  nerves  and  sends  the  blood 
leaping  through  his  veins  when  lives  hang  by  a  thread. 
More  than  one  of  the  younger  warriors,  infuriated  at 
the  delay  in  the  attack,  bent  their  bows.  Had  a  single 
arrow  been  shot  at  us  another  instant  would  have  seen 
us  in  the  midst  of  a  bloody  battle.  All  hung  upon 
the  will  of  White  Wolf.  He  had  only  to  make  a  sign, 
and  my  ball  would  pierce  his  brain,  Pike  and  his  com 
panions  would  be  stabbed  and  mutilated,  and  we  our 
selves  rushed  by  a  furious  mob  of  bloodthirsty  savages. 

Fortunately  for  all  alike,  White  Wolf  had  arrived 
at  years  of  wisdom.  As  they  watched  his  impassive 
face,  the  warriors  gradually  stilled  their  ferocious  yells 
and  gestures.  Within  two  minutes  all  was  so  quiet 
that  we  could  hear  the  quick,  guttural  syllables  of 
Baroney's  translations. 

"It  is  over!  "  said  Wilkinson,  as  White  Wolf  sud 
denly  made  a  gesture  of  assent.  We  saw  Pike  turn 
to  Sparks,  who  promptly  dismounted  and  walked  into 
the  chief's  lodge.  Baroney  took  the  riderless  horse  in 
lead,  and  rode  back  to  us  with  Pike,  through  the  now 
silent  but  still  scowling  crowds  of  warriors. 

The  moment  they  had  joined  us,  our  leader,  as  cool 
and  steady  as  throughout  his  daring  venture,  gave  the 
word  to  march.  The  savages  continued  to  stand  silent 


The  Pawnee  Peril  195 

and  motionless,  watching  us  slip  out  of  their  clutches 
without  so  much  as  a  parting  yell.  Yet  had  it  not  been 
for  the  unequalled  courage  and  firmness  and  sheer 
cool  audacity  of  our  leader,  there  can  be  no  doubt  we 
should  have  been  in  for  a  most  desperate  fight. 

In  justice  to  the  rank  and  file,  I  must  add  that  the 
men  had  borne  themselves  throughout  the  affair  in  a 
manner  fully  creditable  to  their  leader,  who  afterwards 
told  us  that  he  had  counted  upon  our  disposing  of  at 
least  a  hundred  of  the  enemy  before  being  ourselves 
rendered  hors  de  combat.  The  men,  I  believe,  half 
regretted  that  they  had  not  had  the  opportunity  to 
test  the  accuracy  of  this  estimate.  This  was  certainly 
true  of  Meek,  than  whom  no  man  was  ever  more  ma 
ligned  by  his  name. 

Baroney  was  no  less  courageous  than  the  enlisted 
men,  as  was  shown  by  the  cool  manner  in  which  he 
returned  the  following  day  to  look  for  Sparks.  Both 
the  brave  lads  overtook  us  during  the  afternoon,  safe 
and  sound,  and  Sparks  riding  the  stolen  horse! 

They  arrived  shortly  before  we  came  upon  the  first 
outgoing  encampment  of  the  Spaniards,  and  relieved 
by  their  safe  return,  we  swung  away  at  our  best  pace 
in  the  tracks  of  the  invaders.  Our  immediate  pur 
pose  was  to  follow  the  trace  made  by  these  soldiers  of 
His  Most  Catholic  Majesty,  and  so  discover  in  what 
direction  their  expedition  had  turned  after  the  visit  to 
the  Pawnees. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE   BARRIER   OF   ROCK 

AFTER  several  adventures  and  misadventures, 
during  a  march  of  several  days  to  the  southward, 
over  a  broken,  hilly  country,  in  which  we  lost  the  Span 
ish  trace,  we  came  to  the  broad,  shallow  channel  of  the 
Arkansas  River.  Here  Lieutenant  Wilkinson  and  a 
party  consisting  of  Sergeant  Ballenger,  four  privates, 
and  the  two  or  three  Osages  who  had  continued  with 
us  thus  far,  were  detached  to  descend  the  river  for  the 
purpose  of  exploring  the  unknown  reaches  of  its  lower 
course  to  its  junction  with  the  Mississippi.  A  canoe 
was  hewn  out  for  them  from  the  trunk  of  a  cottonwood 
tree,  and  another  made  of  skins  on  a  frame  of  branches, 
and  they  set  off  bravely  downstream,  though  the  river 
was  at  the  time  covered  with  drifting  ice. 

Having  seen  our  companions  embarked  on  their 
perilous  voyage  through  the  almost  unknown  country 
to  the  southeast,  we  set  off  westward  on  our  ascent  of 
the  stream  which  they  were  descending.  Despite  a 
snowstorm  and  the  ice  in  the  river,  we  crossed  and  re- 
crossed  the  channel,  until  at  last  we  rediscovered  the 
camps  and  trace  of  the  Spaniards,  which  here  indi 
cated  a  force  of  fully  six  hundred  soldiers. 

After  this  we  marched  steadily  upstream,  along  the 
trace,  for  over  two  weeks,  despite  the  Hindrance  and 


The  Barrier  of  Rock  197 

annoyance  resulting  from  the  weakness  of  the  greater 
number  of  our  horses,  three  or  four  of  which  had  fi 
nally  to  be  abandoned.  Unfortunately  we  lacked  both 
the  skill  and  the  means  to  replace  the  beasts  from  the 
herds  of  spirited  wild  horses  which  we  frequently  saw 
interspersed  among  the  great  droves  of  buffaloes. 
Yet  despite  the  depletion  of  our  pack  train  and  the 
grim  prospect  of  being  weather-bound  for  the  Winter 
out  on  these  bleak  plains,  we  felt  assured  that  where 
the  Spaniards  had  led  the  way  we  could  follow,  and  so 
pushed  on  into  the  wilderness,  ever  farther  and  farther 
from  home  and  civilization. 

Since  the  second  day  after  leaving  the  Pawnee  Re 
public  we  had  encountered  none  of  the  savage  habi 
tants  of  the  prairies.  But  now  at  last  we  were  again 
put  on  our  guard  by  the  discovery  of  occasional  In 
dian  signs  along  the  river  banks.  As  a  precaution 
against  falling  into  an  ambuscade,  Pike  and  I  took  to 
scouting  some  little  distance  in  advance  of  the  party. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  November,  a  day  ever  memorable 
to  us,  we  were  riding  along  in  this  manner,  when,  two 
hours  or  so  after  noon,  as  we  topped  one  of  the  nu 
merous  hills,  the  Lieutenant  abruptly  drew  rein  and 
pointed  off  to  the  right. 

"  Indians?  "  I  demanded,  looking  to  the  priming  of 
my  rifle. 

"  No,"  he  replied.    "  Wait." 

At  the  sight  of  his  levelled  spyglass,  I  too  stared 
off  a  little  to  north  of  west,  and  at  once  made  out  what 
appeared  to  be  a  faint,  half -luminous  point  of  cloud. 


198  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Its  color  was  a  spectral  silvery  blue,  much  like  that  of 
the  moon  when  seen  in  the  daytime.  Before  I  could 
utter  the  word  that  sprang  to  my  lips,  my  friend  fore 
stalled  me. 

"'Tis  a  mountain!  —  the  Mexican  mountains, 
John!" 

I  caught  the  spyglass  which  he  thrust  out  to  me, 
and  fixed  it  upon  that  distant  peak  with  burning  ea 
gerness.  The  Mexican  mountains,  the  fabled  sierras 
of  New  Spain!  Had  we  at  last  sighted  the  snowy 
crest  of  their  nearest  peak?  Was  this  one  of  that 
sierra  of  which  Alisanda  had  spoken,  my  Barrier  of 
Rock,  the  Sangre  de  Cristo? 

We  rode  on,  too  overcome  to  speak,  held  in  throb 
bing  suspense  between  delight  over  our  discovery  and 
dread  lest  it  should  prove  to  be  some  illusion  of  cloud 
and  light.  But  within  another  two  miles  there  came  an 
end  to  all  doubt.  Before  us,  from  one  of  the  higher 
hill-tops  there  stretched  out  along  the  western  horizon 
an  enormous  barrier  of  snowy  mountains,  extending 
to  the  north  and  south  farther  than  eye  or  glass  could 
see.  My  heart  gave  a  great  leap  at  that  wonderful 
sight.  In  my  mind  there  was  no  longer  the  slightest 
doubt.  I  knew  that  before  me  upreared  the  barrier 
that  I  must  cross  to  reach  my  lady. 

Not  until  the  men  came  up  with  us  and  burst  into 
cheers  for  the  great  white  mountains  of  Mexico  did 
I  rouse  from  my  daydream  of  Alisanda.  Before  me, 
as  real  as  life,  I  had  seen  imaged  her  beautiful  pale 
face,  with  the  scarlet  lips  parting  from  the  pearly 


The  Barrier  of  Rock  199 

teeth,  and  the  velvety  black  eyes  gazing  at  me  full 
from  beneath  the  edge  of  the  veiling  mantilla.  Such 
was  the  vision  —  whose  reality  I  knew  to  be  awaiting 
me  somewhere  south  and  west,  beyond  that  snowy 
sierra.  I  drew  in  a  full  breath  and  joined  in  the  loud 
cheering  of  my  comrades. 

While  the  air  yet  rang  with  the  last  of  our  wild 
cheers,  our  commander  faced  about,  with  upraised 
hand,  and  called  in  resolute  tones:  "Men!  we  have 
toiled,  we  have  undergone  dangers.  We  know  not 
what  dangers  lie  before  us:  Winter  is  at  hand;  our 
horses  are  fast  failing ;  we  are  outfitted  only  for  Sum 
mer  travel.  Yet  what  of  all  that?  We  have  outfaced 
the  Pawnees;  we  have  traversed  this  vast  desert;  we 
have  held  to  the  track  of  the  Spanish  invaders  of  our 
territories.  Before  our  eyes  uprear  the  unknown 
mountains  of  the  West,  —  mountains  upon  which  our 
countrymen  have  never  before  set  eyes;  of  which  no 
American  has  ever  heard,  unless  it  be  the  vague  and 
misleading  reports  of  the  Spaniards.  Men!  we  will 
not  turn  back  with  the  goal  of  our  toilsome  marches 
in  view!  " 

"No!  no!  Lead  us  on,  sir!"  shouted  Sergeant 
Meek,  and  every  man  caught  up  the  cry:  "  Lead  us 
on,  sir!  lead  us  on!  No  turning  back!  " 

Our  commander  flushed,  and  his  blue  eyes  sparkled. 
"Ah,  my  brave  men!  I  was  certain  of  your  mettle! 
We  will  ascend  these  mountains ;  we  will  explore  the 
utmost  boundaries  of  Louisiana ;  and  if  the  Spaniards 
seek  to  check  us  —  " 


200  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  We  '11  raise  a  little  dust,  sir!  "  cried  young  Sparks, 
flourishing  his  musket. 

"  Perhaps!  "  returned  the  Lieutenant,  looking  about 
at  us  with  a  shrewd  smile.  "  If  it  comes  to  that,  they 
will  not  find  us  backward.  But  do  not  count  too  much 
on  hostilities.  We  are  here,  not  to  fight,  but  to  ex 
plore  the  limits  of  the  Territory." 

"  But,  sir,  should  we  fall  in  with  the  Spaniards? " 
ventured  Meek. 

"  Should  we  meet  a  Spanish  party,  we  may  be  in 
vited  to  go  in  with  them  to  Santa  Fe.  It  would  serve 
our  purpose  no  little  to  be  the  guests  of  the  Spanish 
authorities.  Enough.  Fall  in!  By  to-morrow  night 
we  should  be  encamped  at  the  foot  of  that  grand 
peak." 

He  wheeled  his  horse  about,  and  rode  off  again  in 
front.  I  hastened  to  join  him,  my  thought  intent  upon 
a  surmise  drawn  from  his  last  speech.  When  we  had 
ridden  ahead  beyond  earshot  of  the  others,  I  put  my 
thought  into  words. 

"  Montgomery,"  I  said,  "  you  have  other  orders 
from  General  Wilkinson  than  those  given  out.  It  is 
not  I  alone  whose  instructions  are  to  attempt  com 
munications  with  the  Spaniards." 

"  And  if  your  guess  is  right? "  he  asked. 

"God  forbid!"  I  cried. 

"What!  I  see  no  cause  for  dismay  in  the  simple 
fact  that  I  am  to  further  your  efforts  to  obtain  in 
formation.  I  and  the  party  will  be  in  much  less  dan 
ger  from  the  Spanish  authorities  than  yourself,  John." 


The  Barrier  of  Rock  201 

"  It  is  not  that,"  I  muttered. 

"  What,  then?  I  declare,  John,  there  are  times 
when  I  cannot  bear  the  thought  of  your  venturing  in 
among  the  Spaniards  alone.  It  is  now  my  resolve  to 
march  into  Santa  Fe  with  you." 

"No,  no!"  I  protested.  "You  must  not  —  can 
not!" 

"  Cannot?    Do  you  think  I  fear  the  danger?  " 

"  Of  death,  no;  but  of  dishonor." 

"  Dishonor!    Should  the  Spanish  dare  —  " 

"  No,  not  the  Spaniards  —  not  that.  But  our  own 
people." 

"  Explain!  "  he  demanded. 

I  opened  my  mouth  to  accuse  his  General  —  and 
paused.  After  all,  what  proof  had  I  of  Wilkinson's 
connivance  in  the  plans  of  Colonel  Burr?  What 
proof  had  I  that  even  Burr's  plans  were  treasonable? 
I  should  have  been  an  outright  imbecile  to  have  enter 
tained  the  slightest  doubt  of  the  zealous  loyalty  and 
patriotism  of  my  friend,  —  and  Wilkinson  was  his 
General  and  his  patron.  Why  poison  his  mind  against 
one  who  had  shown  him  great  favors  and  was  in  a 
position  as  Commander-in-Chief  to  show  him  even 
greater  favors?  We  could  not  now  hope  to  return  to 
the  Mississippi  settlements  for  several  months.  Why 
fill  my  friend's  mind  with  anxieties  over  plots  and 
projects  which  might  never  develop,  or  which,  even 
if  not  stillborn,  might  well  be  counted  upon  to  reach 
maturity  long  before  we  should  have  a  chance  to 
oppose  them? 


202  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

So,  instead  of  Wilkinson's  name,  it  was  Burr's 
which  passed  my  hesitating  lips;  and  in  my  account 
of  the  little  I  knew  of  the  late  Vice-President's  grand 
projects,  I  took  care  to  omit  the  name  of  Wilkinson. 
My  companion  listened  with  his  usual  seriousness,  but 
at  the  end  smilingly  shook  his  head,  and  declared  that 
he  believed  the  Colonel's  schemes  were  all  based  on 
pure  speculation,  and  would  end  in  air.  As  I  have 
stated,  I  could  not  tell  him  my  reasons  for  suspecting 
that  his  General  had  plotted  with  Burr.  Yet  this 
was  the  very  crux  of  the  affair.  It  was  evident,  in  my 
opinion,  that  at  about  the  time  of  my  visit  to  him  in 
Natchez  Wilkinson  had  become  frightened,  and  was 
rapidly  coming  to  the  decision  of  withdrawing  from 
Burr's  projects.  But  supposing  he,  the  military  chief 
of  the  army  and  the  Governor  of  the  Upper  Terri 
tory,  should  gain  heart  to  cast  in  his  fortunes  with 
the  great  plotter,  would  those  projects  then  be  so 
visionary? 

My  friend  went  on  with  an  argument  which  proved 
only  how  little  he  suspected  any  connection  between 
our  expedition  and  Burr's  plot.  He  explained  at  great 
length  —  to  his  own  satisfaction,  though  not  to  mine 
—  that  our  secret  instructions  to  spy  upon  the  Span 
iards  related  only  to  the  far-from-probable  event  of 
war  between  their  country  and  our  own. 

On  his  part,  he  then  came  at  me  with  a  shrewd  in 
quiry  as  to  my  real  motive  for  volunteering  with  the 
expedition.  I  immediately  confided  to  him  everything 
relating  to  my  romance.  There  was  now  no  reason 


The  Barrier  of  Rock  203 

why  I  should  hold  back  anything  about  Alisanda, 
and  indeed  I  should  have  told  him  all  long  before, 
had  it  not  been  that  since  our  start  from  Belle  Fon 
taine  we  had  never  chanced  to  be  alone  together  other 
than  at  times  when  matters  of  great  concern  to  our 
selves  or  the  expedition  absorbed  our  interest. 

My  confession  won  me,  as  I  had  foreseen,  a  most 
ardent  ally.  He  listened  with  all  the  joyful  sympathy 
of  one  who  has  been  happy  in  the  love  of  a  true- 
hearted,  beautiful  wife. 

"John!  John!  To  think  of  it!  All  these  months, 
and  you  never  so  much  as  whispered  a  word !  A  sen- 
orita  from  Old  Spain?  Never  fear!"  He  looked 
me  up  and  down  with  an  air  of  severe  appraisal. 
"  She  '11  take  you;  she  's  bound  to  take  you!  " 

He  went  on  with  a  list  of  reasons  as  long  as  my 
arm.  There  is  nothing  like  a  friend  to  lay  it  on  with 
regard  to  your  good  qualities,  when  he  is  in  the  mood. 

"  Hold!  hold!  "  I  broke  in  on  him.  "  Save  that  to 
tell  to  Senorita  Vallois.  I  'd  rather  you  'd  inform  me 
as  to  how  soon  I  'm  to  reach  Santa  Fe." 

"  That 's  the  question,"  he  replied.  "  We  Ve  first 
to  round  the  headwaters  of  this  stream,  then  those  of 
the  Red  River.  Afterwards  it  is  not  unlikely  we  can 
manage  so  to  lose  ourselves  as  to  contrive  to  wander 
into  the  midst  of  the  Spanish  settlements." 

I  stared  glumly  at  the  snowy  peaks  towering  upon 
the  western  horizon.  "  That  may  be  months  hence. 
We  cannot  travel  fast  among  the  mountains.  Why 
not  strike  first  for  Santa  Fe? " 


204  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

;<  The  Spanish  settlements  must  all  lie  to  the  south 
ward  of  yonder  grand  peak.  Santa  Fe  is  rumored  to 
have  a  mild  climate;  hence  it  must  lie  to  the  south  of 
our  present  position,"  he  argued.  "  Therefore  we 
must  first  explore  the  sources  of  the  Arkansas.  When 
we  go  south  among  the  Spaniards,  there  is  no  telling 
what  they  will  do  with  us,  but  it  is  fair  to  presume 
that  they  will  at  least  do  their  best  to  check  our  ex 
plorations." 

"  Very  true,"  I  assented.  "  Suppose,  then,  that  I 
part  company  from  you  here,  and  strike  out  to  cross 
my  barrier  alone? " 

"No!"   he  exclaimed. 

"Why  not?" 

"  You  surely  would  perish.  I  could  not  spare  you 
a  horse.  We  shall  need  all  for  the  packs  before  the 
week  is  out.  Without  a  horse,  and  alone,  you  surely 
would  perish,  either  in  this  bleak  desert  or  among  those 
mountain  wilds." 

"  Yet  I  am  willing  to  chance  it.  I  hoped  to  have 
crossed  the  barrier  —  to  have  reached  her  side  —  be 
fore  now." 

"  If  not  for  your  own  sake,  John,  then  for  ours! 
You  are  the  best  shot  among  us.  Since  Wilkinson 
left,  you  have  in  effect  taken  his  place  as  second  in 
command.  You  know  how  highly  the  men  regard 
you.  Should  aught  happen  to  me,  you  are  the  only 
one  of  our  number  capable  of  taking  my  place  and 
carrying  out  the  various  objects  of  the  expedition." 

"  Meek  is  a  fine  soldier,"  I  said. 


The  Barrier  of  Rock  205 

"  A  good  sergeant  and  a  brave  man  —  so  brave  that 
we  could  count  upon  him  to  '  raise  a  little  dust '  at  the 
first  opportunity.  He  's  brave  to  rashness,  but  quite 
incapable  of  keeping  notes,  either  of  our  route  or  of 
the  many  scientific  features  which  we  are  certain  to 
encounter." 

"  Yet  —  to  wait,  it  may  be  months  longer! " 

"  We  need  you,  John." 

"  Very  well,"  I  replied.  I  could  not  do  other  than 
give  way  to  that  argument. 

Such  was  the  quenching  of  my  newly  aroused  hopes. 
I  should  cross  the  barrier  to  Alisanda;  I  vowed  I 
would  cross  it,  or  die.  But  the  attempt  must  now 
wait  until  we  had  penetrated  to  the  headwaters  of  the 
Arkansas;  until  we  had  rounded  the  sources  of  the 
Red  River,  —  if  in  truth  we  were  ever  to  find  the  un 
known  upper  reaches  of  that  stream;  until  we  had 
spent  weeks,  and  it  might  be  months,  wandering 
about  the  snowy  wildernesses  of  these  vast  Western 
mountains. 

It  was  a  sickening  prospect  for  my  eager  love  to 
contemplate.  Yet  I  needed  only  the  quiet  words  of 
my  friend  to  realize  what  I  already  knew  in  my  heart. 
It  was  true  what  he  said.  I  could  be  of  service  to  my 
comrades.  There  was  my  duty  to  them,  if  not  my 
patriotism,  to  bind  me  to  their  company.  I  could  not 
have  left  them  at  the  time,  even  though  the  way  to 
Santa  Fe  and  on  to  Chihuahua  had  been  an  open 
highway  before  my  feet,  and  the  season  midspring. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

THE    GRAND    PEAK 

THE  Lieutenant's  prediction  that  the  following 
evening  should  see  us  encamped  at  the  foot  of 
the  Grand  Peak  was  not  borne  out  by  the  event.  Not 
withstanding  our  many  days  on  the  prairies,  we  were 
yet  far  from  realizing  the  deception  of  distances  in 
this  high  altitude  and  clear,  dry  atmosphere. 

That  next  day  we  lost  many  hours  on  a  large  fork 
of  the  river,  where  the  turning  of  the  Spanish  trace 
led  us  to  believe  that  the  party  had  set  off  southward. 
Finding  that  they  had  returned  and  continued  their 
ascent  of  the  main  stream,  we  did  likewise.  This 
gave  us  but  little  progress  for  that  day. 

But  the  next  morning  we  set  out,  confident  that  we 
should  reach  the  Grand  Peak  within  a  few  hours. 
Our  astonishment  was  great  when,  after  marching 
nearly  twenty-five  miles,  we  found  ourselves  at  even 
ing  seemingly  no  nearer  the  mountains  than  at  sun 
rise.  Yet  we  had  thought  to  encamp  at  their  base 
that  night! 

The  following  two  days  we  spent  in  hunting  buffalo 
and  jerking  the  meat.  The  marrow  bones  gave  us  a 
feast  fit  for  a  king,  —  fit  even  for  citizens  of  the 
Republic. 


The  Grand  Peak  207 

The  second  day  of  our  march  onward,  still  keeping 
to  the  Spanish  trace,  we  at  last  found  ourselves  ap 
preciably  near  ing  the  mountains.  What  was  not  so 
welcome,  we  came  upon  the  fresh  traces  of  two  In 
dians  who  had  ascended  the  river  very  recently. 
Warned  by  this,  we  proceeded  in  the  morning  more 
than  ever  wary  of  ambuscades.  There  was  good 
reason  for  our  precautions. 

Scarcely  had  the  Lieutenant,  Baroney,  and  my 
self  ridden  out  in  advance  of  the  party,  when  of  a 
sudden  the  interpreter  sang  out:  "  Voila!  Les 
sauvages! " 

A  moment  later  we  also  caught  sight  of  the  In 
dians,  a  number  of  whom  were  circling  about  us  on 
the  high  ground,  while  others  raced  directly  upon  us 
out  of  the  dense  groves  of  cottonwoods.  All  were 
afoot ;  which,  taken  with  the  unmistakable  cut  of  their 
hair  and  their  red  and  black  paint,  told  us  all  too 
plainly  that  they  were  a  war  party  of  Pawnees  re 
turning  from  an  unsuccessful  raid  upon  one  of  the 
Western  tribes. 

Knowing  well  how  apt  are  the  warriors  to  be  evil- 
tempered  after  the  humiliation  of  a  failure  to  strike 
their  enemy,  I  prepared  to  sell  my  life  as  dearly  as 
might  be.  All  the  probabilities  pointed  to  the  suppo 
sition  that  the  party  was  made  up  of  Skidis,  or  Loups, 
and  I,  for  one,  had  no  desire  to  become  a  captive  in 
their  hands.  It  was  enough  to  have  escaped  in  my 
boyhood  from  the  stake  and  fire  of  the  Shawnees.  I 
had  no  intention  of  now  letting  myself  be  crucified 


208  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

and  mangled  and  burned  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  morn 
ing  star  by  these  prairie  savages. 

But  Pike,  cool  as  ever,  restrained  Baroney  and  my 
self  from  firing,  and  the  Indians  seemed  to  justify  his 
moderation  by  flinging  down  their  weapons  and 
running  to  us  with  outstretched  arms.  In  a  moment 
they  were  all  about  us,  in  a  jostling,  jabbering  crowd, 
patting  and  hugging  us  as  though  we  had  been  blood 
kinsmen.  So  urgent  were  they  with  their  friendly  re 
quests  for  us  to  dismount  that  we  finally  complied. 
On  the  instant  an  Indian  was  upon  each  horse  and  rid 
ing  off. 

Still  the  others  held  to  their  friendly  gestures,  and 
upon  looking  back,  we  could  see  the  rest  of  their  party 
making  no  less  friendly  demonstrations  among  our 
soldiers.  We  were  partly  reassured  when  we  learned 
that  the  warriors  were  not  Loups,  but  a  party  from 
the  Grand  Pawnee.  But  the  confirmation  of  our  sur 
mise  that  they  were  returning  from  an  unsuccessful 
raid  upon  the  Tetans,  or  letans,  —  whom  the  Span 
iards  call  Comanches,  —  caused  us  to  fall  back  upon 
our  main  party  and  work  it  around  to  a  camp  in  a 
little  grove  as  speedily  as  possible. 

During  this  manoeuvre  more  than  one  of  our 
unwelcome  visitors  bent  their  bows.  But  the  firm 
insistence  of  our  gallant  leader  won  its  way  with 
the  savages.  Soon  all  sixty  were  seated  about  us  in 
a  ring.  The  Lieutenant  then  sat  down  opposite 
their  chief,  with  the  council  pipe  laid  out  before 
him. 


The  Grand  Peak  209 

At  his  orders,  gifts  of  tobacco,  knives,  and  flints 
were  placed  beside  the  chief.  The  present  was 
greeted  with  guttural  cries  of  dissatisfaction,  and  the 
chief  demanded  with  great  insolence  that  we  should 
give  them  a  quantity  of  our  most  valuable  equipage, 
from  ammunition  to  blankets  and  kettles.  To  this, 
despite  the  advice  and  even  urgent  plea  of  Baroney, 
our  commander  firmly  refused  to  accede. 

At  last,  after  no  little  grumbling  and  threatening, 
they  presented  us  with  a  vessel  of  water,  and  drank 
and  smoked  with  us,  in  token  of  amity.  Not  satisfied 
with  this,  and  warned  by  Baroney,  I  kept  on  my  feet, 
watching  the  treacherous  warriors.  Our  wariness  was 
justified  by  the  contemptuous  manner  in  which  many 
of  their  number  threw  away  their  presents.  When, 
immediately  after  this,  we  began  to  reload  our  pack 
horses,  the  entire  band  pressed  into  our  midst  and 
began  to  pilfer  right  and  left. 

For  a  time  all  was  in  the  most  perilous  confusion, 
Pike  and  I  having  to  mount  our  horses  to  save  the 
very  pistols  in  our  holsters.  On  every  side  the  savages 
were  snatching  articles,  which  the  soldiers  were  doing 
their  best  to  wrest  from  them. 

"  The  rogues!  "  cried  Pike.  "  Baroney,  command 
the  chief  to  call  off  his  men.  I  '11  not  submit  to  open 
robbery ! " 

Even  while  Baroney  interpreted  the  order,  the  chief 
slipped  a  knife  from  the  belt  of  one  of  the  privates 
who  was  turned  the  other  way,  and  hid  it  behind  his 
shield.  Almost  in  the  same  moment  he  faced  the 

14 


210  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Lieutenant,  and  flung  out  his  hand  in  a  gesture  of  in 
jured  innocence. 

Baroney  hastily  interpreted  his  ironic,  hypocritical 
reply:  "  The  great  white  chief  has  an  open  hand,  a 
good  heart.  It  cannot  be  he  grudges  his  poor  red 
friends  a  few  small  gifts.  My  braves  are  wretched; 
they  are  needy;  they  hunger." 

"Hungry,  are  they?"  shouted  Pike.  "Then 
we'll  give  them  lead  to  eat!  Stand  ready  to  fire, 
men!"  He  rose  in  his  stirrups  and  pointed  his 
pistol  at  the  chief.  "By  the  Almighty!  I'll  shoot 
the  next  scoundrel  who  touches  our  goods  I  " 

I  looked  for  an  instant  acceptance  of  the  chal 
lenge.  Intermingled  among  us  as  they  were  and  so 
greatly  superior  in  numbers,  the  savages  had  every 
advantage.  In  hand  to  hand  fighting  their  clubs 
and  knives  and  stone  tomahawks  would  have  been  as 
efficient  as  our  weapons,  while  our  firearms,  once 
emptied,  would  have  taken  us  more  time  to  reload 
than  an  Indian  would  require  to  shoot  a  quiverful 
of  arrows. 

For  a  long  moment  our  fate  hung  in  the  balance, 
while  the  enraged  pilferers  gripped  their  weapons  and 
glared  at  us  with  murderous  hate.  The  tense  silence 
was  broken  only  by  the  sharp  clicking  of  our  ham 
mers.  Suddenly  Sergeant  Meek,  far  too  well  disci 
plined  to  fire  without  orders,  yet  unable  to  restrain  his 
pugnacity,  seized  a  brawny  young  warrior  by  the 
shoulder,  and  whirling  him  around  like  a  child,  sent 
him  flying  off  with  a  tremendous  kick. 


The  Grand  Peak  211 

"  Begone,  ye  varmint!  "  he  roared. 

It  was  the  last  straw  to  the  savages.  Overawed  by 
our  unquailing  boldness  in  the  face  of  their  superior 
numbers,  they  followed  their  staggering  fellow,  sullen 
and  scowling,  muttering  threats,  yet  afraid  to  strike. 

We  waited  with  finger  on  trigger,  until  the  last 
of  their  long  file  had  glided  beyond  gunshot.  Then 
the  Lieutenant,  half  choking  with  rage,  ordered  us  to 
take  stock  of  our  losses.  It  did  not  soothe  him  to 
find  that  the  thieves  had  managed  to  make  away  with 
some  thirty  or  forty  dollars'  worth  of  our  property. 
Not  even  the  ferocious  Sioux  and  Chippewas  had 
dared  to  rob  him  in  this  brazen  fashion.  But  with  only 
sixteen  guns,  all  told,  it  was  wiser  for  us  to  submit 
to  the  outrage  than  to  imperil  the  expedition  and  per 
haps  lose  our  lives  in  an  attempt  to  follow  and  punish 
the  rascals. 

That  evening  the  Lieutenant  and  I  went  back  and 
lay  in  wait  beside  our  trace,  thinking  that  the  thieves 
might  return  and  attempt  to  steal  our  horses.  It 
would  have  been  only  too  well  in  keeping  with  the 
habits  of  these  savages,  for  the  Pawnees  are  the 
most  noted  horse-thieves  of  all  the  prairie  tribes.  For 
tunately  our  watch  proved  needless. 

By  noon  of  the  day  after  this  encounter  we  came 
to  the  third  large  southern  branch  of  the  river,  im 
mediately  beyond  which  a  fork  on  the  north  bank  ran 
off  about  northwest  toward  the  Grand  Peak  which  we 
had  first  sighted  so  far  out  on  the  prairies.  As  the 
peak  now  seemed  only  a  day's  journey  distant,  the 


212  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Lieutenant  decided  to  attempt  its  ascent  with  a  small 
party.  But  first  we  joined  in  erecting  a  breastwork, 
—  the  first  American  building  in  all  this  vast  wilder 
ness;  the  first  structure  south  of  the  Missouri  and 
west  of  the  Pawnee  Republic  to  float  the  glorious 
Stars  and  Stripes! 

Shortly  after  noon  of  the  second  day  the  Lieuten 
ant  marched  for  the  peak  with  Miller,  Brown,  and 
myself. 

Instead  of  reaching  the  foot  of  the  peak  by  night 
fall,  as  we  had  expected,  we  were  compelled  to  camp 
under  a  cedar  tree,  out  on  the  bleak  prairie.  Severe  as 
was  the  cold,  we  felt  still  greater  discomfort  from  the 
lack  of  water.  Again  we  marched  for  the  great 
mountain,  in  the  fond  expectation  of  encamping  that 
night  upon  its  summit.  Instead,  we  hardly  reached 
the  base  of  the  lofty  rise.  Fortunately  we  there  found 
a  number  of  springs,  and  succeeded  in  killing  two 
buffaloes. 

Still  untaught  by  experience,  we  foolishly  left  our 
blankets  and  all  other  than  a  pocketful  of  provision 
at  our  bivouac,  and  set  off  up  the  mountain  at  dawn, 
assured  that  we  could  reach  the  top  by  noon  and  de 
scend  again  by  nightfall.  Almost  at  the  start  I 
brought  down  a  deer  of  a  species  unknown  to  us,  it 
being  larger  than  the  ordinary  animal,  and  its  ears 
much  like  those  of  a  mule.  The  carcass  was  flayed 
without  delay,  and  the  skin  hung  well  up  in  a  pitch- 
pine,  together  with  the  saddle. 

Made  impatient  by  the  delay,  we  began  our  climb 


The  Grand  Peak  213 

with  a  will,  determined  to  reach  the  summit  even 
earlier  than  we  had  planned.  In  this,  however,  we 
were  to  be  most  sadly  disappointed.  After  clamber 
ing  up  the  steep  slopes  and  precipices  all  day  without 
arriving  at  the  crest,  we  were  forced  to  take  refuge  for 
the  night  in  a  cave.  While  preparing  to  creep  into 
this  cheerless  shelter,  our  discomfort  over  the  utter 
lack  of  blankets,  food,  and  water  was  for  the  moment 
forgotten  in  the  curious  sensation  of  standing  under 
a  clear  sky  and  gazing  at  a  snowstorm  far  below  us 
down  the  mountain. 

Morning  found  us  half  famished  with  thirst  and 
hunger  and  bruised  by  our  rocky  beds,  but  we  needed 
no  urging  to  resume  our  laborious  ascent.  The  view 
from  our  lofty  mountain  side  was  the  grandest  I  had 
ever  seen.  Above  us  arched  the  translucent  sky  in 
an  illimitable  dome  of  purest  sapphire,  rimmed  before 
our  upturned  eyes  by  gaunt,  jagged  rocks  and  fields 
of  dazzling  snow.  Behind  and  below  us  the  vast 
desert  of  prairies  stretched  away  to  east  and  north 
and  south,  far  beyond  the  reach  of  human  eye,  its 
tawny  surface  closely  overhung  by  a  sea  of  billowy 
white  clouds.  Far  to  the  south,  at  least  a  hundred 
miles  distant,  we  noted  in  particular  a  vast  double, 
or  twin,  peak,  which  stood  out  from  and  overtopped 
the  heights  of  the  front  range  even  as  our  Grand  Peak 
dwarfed  its  neighbors. 

But  we  did  not  linger  long  to  gaze  at  this  sublime 
prospect.  Though  our  thermometer  here  registered 
well  below  zero,  we  struggled  on  upward  through  the 


214  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

waist-deep  snow  to  the  first  of  the  summits  which  rose 
before  us.  An  hour  found  us  close  upon  what  we 
took  to  be  the  goal  of  our  efforts. 

At  last,  panting  from  our  exertions  and  the  rarity 
of  the  air,  we  floundered  up  the  final  rise  to  the  crest. 
In  this  wild,  scrambling  rush  Brown  dropped  to  the 
rear,  while  the  Lieutenant,  though  physically  the  least 
robust  of  the  party,  forged  ahead  even  of  myself, 
upborne  by  his  zealous  spirit.  He,  the  leader  of  the 
expedition,  should  be  —  must  be  —  the  first  to  set 
foot  upon  the  summit  of  the  Grand  Peak ! 

With  a  final  rally  of  his  wiry  strength,  he  uttered 
a  shout  and  dashed  up  over  the  thin,  hard-crusted 
snow  of  the  summit  to  the  crest,  —  only  to  stop  short 
and  stand  staring  off  beyond,  in  bitter  disappointment. 

"  Look!  "  he  cried.    "  The  Grand  Peak!  " 

:t  The  Grand  Peak!"  I  shouted  back,  too  excited 
to  perceive  the  import  of  his  tone  and  bearing.  "  The 
Grand  Peak!  We  '11  name  it  for  you,  —  for  the  first 
American  to  sight  it;  the  first  to  mount  its  crest;  the 
first  —  " 

My  exultant  cry  died  away  on  my  lips.  I  halted 
and  stood  gaping  in  speechless  amazement  at  the  peak 
that  loomed  skyward  over  beyond  the  lesser  height  we 
had  mounted.  What  we  had  taken  for  the  Grand 
Peak  was  no  more  than  a  satellite  that  had  masked  the 
Titan  from  our  view!  As  we  gazed  from  our  hard- 
won  crest,  there  uprose  before  us,  grander  than  ever, 
the  vast  bulk  of  the  mighty  mountain,  its  sublime  sum 
mit  glittering  with  eternal  snows.  But  the  nearest 


"  'The  Grand  Peak ! '  I  shouted.     'We'll  name  it  for  you"' 


The  Grand  Peak  215 

ridge  of  its  stupendous  pyramidal  base  was  yet  a  full 
sixteen  miles  distant! 

I  turned  and  shouted  the  discovery  to  Miller  and 
Brown,  who  toiled  up  beside  us  to  stare  at  the  awe 
some  beauty  of  the  Peak  in  dull  wonderment. 

At  last  Pike  regained  his  usual  firm  composure. 

"  We  will  begin  the  return  march,"  he  ordered, 
without  betraying  a  trace  of  his  keen  disappointment 
either  in  look  or  voice. 

"  Send  them  back,"  I  replied,  nodding  toward 
Brown  and  Miller.  "  Let  us  go  on  and  make  the 
attempt  alone." 

"  My  thanks  to  you,  John!  "  he  exclaimed.  "  But 
it  would  be  madness,  sheer  madness.  Through  these 
snows  we  could  not  reach  the  base  of  the  Peak  short 
of  a  day's  march;  and  look  at  that  ascent!  I  doubt 
if  any  man  could  scale  those  heights." 

"  Not  at  this  season.  Yet,  if  you  give  the  word 
to  make  the  attempt  —  " 

"  No!  "  he  rejoined.  "  Without  food,  and  clad  as 
we  are  in  summer  wear,  no!  It  is  enough  to  have 
ascended  this  peak,  without  our  being  so  mad  as  to 
attempt  the  impossible." 

"  Then  the  sooner  we  reach  the  plain,  the  better," 
I  said,  pointing  to  the  mountain  side  behind  us. 

While  we  had  stood  viewing  the  indescribable  gran 
deur  and  sublimity  of  the  Peak  and  the  snow-clad 
sierras  which  stretched  away  in  savage  majesty  to 
north  and  south  of  their  mighty  chieftain,  the  clouds 
below  us  were  rolling  upwards,  were  enveloping  the 


216          A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

entire  mountain  upon  which  we  stood.  Fearful  of 
being  lost  in  a  snowstorm  upon  these  bleak  heights, 
we  descended  rapidly  down  a  cleft,  and  regained  our 
bivouac  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  just  as  the  snow 
began  to  fall. 

Here  we  found  our  blankets  and  other  camp  equip 
ment  as  we  had  left  them.  But  the  ravens  had  robbed 
us  of  all  our  food,  other  than  an  unstripped  fragment 
of  the  deer's  ribs.  Though  one  of  the  men  had  killed 
a  partridge  during  our  descent,  the  bird  and  the  lean 
deer  bones  together  formed  a  scant  enough  meal  for 
four  men  who  had  not  eaten  in  two  days. 

About  noon  the  next  day  we  shot  two  buffaloes, 
upon  whose  flesh  we  gorged  ourselves  like  Indians, 
and  I,  for  one,  am  convinced  that  we  had  well  earned 
the  full  meal. 

In  the  valley,  all  up  and  down  the  creek,  we  found 
many  old  Comanche  camps,  but  the  Indians  had  un 
doubtedly  gone  south  for  the  Winter. 

The  next  day  brought  us  back  to  our  little  stockade 
on  the  Arkansas. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

FAMINE  AND   FROST 

MANY  even  of  our  Western-bred  officers  would 
have  considered  themselves  justified  in  lying 
about  camp  for  at  least  a  day  after  such  a  trip.  Not 
so  Pike.  Toward  noon  of  the  next  day,  which  was 
the  last  of  November,  our  entire  party  marched  on 
up  the  main  stream,  in  the  thick  of  a  heavy  snowstorm. 

We  had  at  last  come  to  the  real  hardships  of  our 
voyage.  Within  the  week  two  or  three  of  the  men 
suffered  frosted  feet.  The  temperature  fell  to  nearly 
twenty  degrees  below  zero,  so  that  even  I  felt  the 
cold  keenly  through  my  hunting  clothes,  while  the 
Lieutenant  and  the  others,  clad  only  in  their  cotton 
wear,  suffered  still  more  from  the  stinging  frost. 

Yet,  despite  all  the  troubles  and  hardships  of  our 
selves  and  our  half -starved  horses,  we  held  to  our 
explorations,  day  after  day,  killing  an  occasional  buf 
falo  or  deer,  and  gradually  working  our  way  into  the 
midst  of  the  mighty  mountains,  northward  and  west 
ward  behind  the  Grand  Peak,  along  what  we  thought 
to  be  the  Spanish  trace.  At  last  we  came  to  a  large 
stream,  which,  to  our  astonishment,  ran  to  the  north 
east.  Though  against  all  our  previous  theories,  we 
were  forced  to  believe  that  this  must  be  the  river  La 


218  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Platte.  Ascending  the  stream  in  a  northwesterly 
direction,  all  alike  suffering  greatly  from  the  cold  of 
these  high  valleys,  we  passed  signs  of  an  immense  en 
campment  of  Indians.  But  we  saw  no  more  of  the 
Spanish  trace,  or  rather  of  the  Indian  trace  which 
we  had  followed  into  the  mountains,  thinking  it  to  be 
the  Spanish. 

Turning  back  upon  our  own  trace  some  little  dis 
tance,  we  crossed  over  a  pass  in  the  mountains  to  the 
southwest,  and  descending  a  small  stream,  came  upon 
what  we  thought  to  be  the  upper  waters  of  the  Red 
River.  Here,  while  our  wretched,  famished  beasts 
were  recruiting  themselves  upon  a  favorable  bit  of 
pasture  land,  the  Lieutenant  marched  with  a  small 
party  to  explore  upstream.  At  the  same  time  Ba- 
roney  and  I  marched  down  the  river,  our  mission  being 
to  kill  game  for  the  others,  who  were  to  follow  us  in 
a  day  or  two. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  three  days  later,  on 
Christmas  Eve,  that  our  party  found  itself  reunited 
in  one  camp.  After  two  days  of  unsuccessful  hunt 
ing,  Baroney  and  I  had  at  last  killed  four  buffaloes, 
and  young  Sparks  had  shot  four  more.  In  view  of 
the  fact  that  we  had  all  been  for  two  days  without 
food,  the  meeting  brought  us  great  happiness. 

Yet  I  cannot  say  that  Christmas  Day,  which  we 
spent  in  camp,  smoking  and  drying  our  meat,  was  as 
merry  as  it  might  have  been.  The  contrast  with  all 
our  previous  experiences  of  that  holiday  was  far  too 
sombre.  Some  of  the  men  even  drew  unfavorable 


Famine  and  Frost  219 

comparisons  between  this  and  the  past  year,  when 
they  were  at  the  head  of  the  Mississippi.  Though 
then  in  a  still  colder  climate  and  among  the  fierce 
Chippewas,  they  had  at  least  enjoyed  far  better  food 
and  shelter.  As  for  our  present  food,  though  now  for 
the  first  time  in  weeks  we  had  an  abundant  supply, 
it  was  limited  to  the  one  item  of  meat,  which  we  must 
eat  without  so  much  as  a  pinch  of  salt.  Our  summery 
clothes  were  rent  and  tattered ;  many  of  our  blankets 
torn  up  for  stockings ;  our  outer  footwear  reduced  to 
clumsy  moccasins  of  raw  buffalo  hide. 

To  these  physical  privations  was  added  the  con 
sciousness  of  the  grim  fact  that  between  us  and  the 
nearest  of  our  far-distant  frontier  settlements  lay  all 
the  mountain  wilderness  we  had  traversed,  and  more 
than  seven  hundred  miles  of  desert  plains.  Yet,  taken 
all  in  all,  we  managed  to  spend  the  day  in  fairly  good 
cheer,  despite  the  snow  which  came  whirling  down 
upon  us. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  we  marched  down 
to  where  the  mountains  closed  in  on  the  river  valley. 
From  here  on,  each  succeeding  day  until  the  fifth  of 
January  found  our  way  rougher  and  more  difficult. 
The  valley  became  ever  deeper  and  narrower,  so  that 
we  had  to  cross  and  recross  the  river  repeatedly,  our 
horses  frequently  falling  upon  the  ice.  Even  harder 
upon  them  were  their  no  less  frequent  slips  among  the 
rocks  of  the  banks. 

Much  to  my  relief,  I  was  not  required  to  witness 
the  sufferings  of  the  poor  beasts  coming  down  through 


220  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

the  worst  of  that  terrible  canyon.  On  New  Year's 
Day  Brown  and  I  were  sent  ahead  to  hunt.  Within 
the  first  few  hours  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  bring 
down  a  huge-horned  mountain  ram.  Leaving  this  in 
our  path  for  the  others  to  skin  and  dress,  we  struggled 
on  down  the  ever-narrowing  valley  all  that  day  and 
the  next  without  sighting  any  other  game. 

On  the  third  of  January  we  found  ourselves  fight 
ing  our  way  along  in  the  gloomy  depths  of  a  cleft  that 
wound  and  twisted  through  the  very  bowels  of  the 
mountains.  The  bottom  of  this  tremendous  gorge 
was  almost  filled  with  the  foaming,  roaring  torrent 
of  the  river,  while  on  either  side  the  cliffs  towered  sky 
ward  in  sheer,  precipitous  precipices,  thousands  of  feet 
high.  Never  before  had  I  seen  or  heard  of  such  a  ter 
rific  chasm,  and  may  I  never  again  be  caught  in  its 
like! 

Leaping  and  slipping  over  the  icy  rocks  beside  the 
furious  rapids  and  falls,  and  creeping  along  the  nar 
row  ledges  of  ice  that  here  and  there  rimmed  the  less 
torrential  stretches  of  the  stream,  we  at  last  gained  a 
spot  where  a  little  ravine  ran  up  through  the  face  of 
the  precipice.  We  saw  that  it  was  impossible  for  us 
to  descend  that  gloomy  gorge  even  a  few  yards 
farther.  The  icy  waters  of  the  roaring  cascades  swept 
the  bed  of  the  chasm  from  wall  to  wall. 

Yet  to  ascend  the  side  cleft  seemed  no  less  beyond 
our  power.  The  water,  running  down  from  above 
earlier  in  the  season,  had  coated  the  rocky  surface 
from  top  to  bottom  with  an  unbroken  slide  of  ice.  It 


Famine  and  Frost  221 

seemed  outright  madness  to  attempt  that  dizzy  ascent. 
However,  a  man  never  knows  what  he  can  do  until 
he  has  tried.  We  set  to,  I  with  my  tomahawk  and 
Brown  with  his  axe,  and  by  cutting  footholds,  turn 
about,  in  the  ice  of  the  ravine's  bottom,  we  slowly 
worked  our  way  up  the  giddy  rise.  Again  and  again 
we  came  near  to  slipping  and  so  plunging  headlong 
down  that  glassy  slide.  After  the  first  hundred  feet, 
we  dared  no  longer  look  back  below,  for  fear  of  being 
overcome  with  dizziness.  Yet  at  last  we  came  to  easier 
climbing,  and,  scaling  the  side  of  the  ravine,  found 
ourselves  safe  on  the  mountain  ridge,  far  above  the 
river  and  its  cavernous  gorge. 

Here  we  soon  killed  a  deer,  and  leaving  the  greater 
part  of  the  carcass  for  our  companions,  pushed  on 
another  day  across  the  mountains.  We  had  at  last 
sighted  the  prairies  from  our  lofty  heights,  when, 
pressed  by  hunger,  I  was  so  ill  advised  as  to  eat 
some  of  the  berries  we  found  hanging  to  the  bushes. 
As  a  result  I  suffered  such  vertigo  that  I  was 
compelled  to  lie  quiet  in  camp.  But  Brown  put 
in  the  time  very  well  by  killing  no  less  than  six 
deer. 

Early  in  the  forenoon  of  the  sixth,  as  we  hastened 
down  out  of  the  mountains,  we  again  came  within  ear 
shot  of  the  torrential  river  of  the  gorge.  Drawn  by 
the  sound,  we  scrambled  around  the  point  of  an  out- 
jutting  ridge,  and  found  ourselves  on  the  river  bank 
where  it  flowed  from  the  gorge.  It  was  not  the  first 
time  I  had  stood  on  that  selfsame  spot. 


222  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  Good  God!  "  I  groaned.  "  After  all  our  toil,  and 
only  this!" 

"  You  may  well  say  it,  John,"  echoed  a  melancholy 
voice  from  beneath  the  cliff  upstream. 

"  Montgomery!  "    I  cried.    "  You  here? " 

He  appeared  from  around  a  big  rock,  sad  and  de 
jected;  but  at  sight  of  my  companion,  instantly  as 
sumed  a  look  of  unbending  resolve. 

"  We  scattered,"  he  explained,  as  I  grasped  his 
hand.  "  The  others  took  the  horses  up  out  of  the 
gorge  by  the  least  difficult  of  the  side  ravines.  I  fol 
lowed  your  trace  down  into  the  midst  of  that  awesome 
cleft  and  up  the  icy  ascent.  But  I  lost  the  trace  on 
the  mountain  top,  and  so  came  on  down  here  —  " 

"  To  find  that,  after  all  our  toil  and  privation,  it  is 
not  the  Red  River!  "  I  cried. 

"  Ah,  well,  it  is  something  to  have  rounded  the 
headwaters  of  the  Arkansas,"  he  replied.  He  turned 
to  Brown:  "  You  will  find  two  of  your  fellows  down 
stream  at  the  old  camp.  Join  them,  and  see  what  the 
three  of  you  can  do  toward  killing  meat  against  the 
coming  of  the  others." 

"  Aye,  sir!  "  responded  Brown,  with  ready  salute. 

He  was  striding  off  when  I  interrupted:  :<  Wait! 
Montgomery,  he  has  six  deer  already  hung." 

"Good!  The  more  the  better!  Fetch  the  other 
lads,  Brown,  and  bring  in  your  game.  If  you  see 
more  deer,  do  what  you  can  to  bring  them  in  too." 

Brown  saluted  the  second  time,  and  started  off  at 
a  dogtrot. 


Famine  and  Frost  223 

I  looked  inquiringly  into  the  Lieutenant's  darken 
ing  face  and  thought  I  read  his  purpose.  "  If  any 
of  the  horses  come  through  alive,  they  will  neverthe 
less  be  too  outworn  for  farther  travel  within  many 
weeks.  You  propose  to  go  into  winter  quarters  ?  " 

"  No!  "  he  answered  almost  angrily. 

"Yet  the  horses?"  I  argued. 

"  Poor  beasts!  "  he  sighed.  "  Would  that  I  might 
put  them  out  of  their  misery  —  such  of  their  number 
as  the  men  may  bring  alive  out  of  that  rocky  waste! 
Yet  we  cannot  spare  them,  and  the  fewer  the  sur 
vivors,  the  greater  our  need  to  cherish  them.  We  will 
build  a  stockade,  and  leave  the  beasts  here  in  the 
charge  of  two  or  three  of  the  men." 

"  Leave  them!    And  what  of  ourselves?  " 

"  We  will  go  on  in  search  of  the  Red  River." 

"Afoot?    In  midwinter?  " 

"  Southward.  There  must  be  passes  over  the  moun 
tains  to  the  southwest,  —  passes  leading  over  into  the 
warmer  valleys.  All  reports  agree  that  the  Spanish 
settlements  enjoy  a  mild  climate." 

"  The  Spanish  settlements!  "  I  cried.  "  You  would 
head  for  the  Spanish  settlements!  Give  the  word, 
Montgomery;  the  sooner  the  better.  Ho,  for  Nuevo 
Mexico  and  my  lady!  " 

He  shook  his  head  soberly.  "  It  is  well  you  are  not 
in  command,  John,  else  I  fear  you  would  have  even 
less  chance  than  now  of  winning  your  way  to  your 
lady.  It  is  a  desperate  move  we  are  about  to  under 
take." 


224  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

I  smiled.  "  Can  anything  be  more  desperate  than 
our  present  situation? " 

'  We  must  leave  the  horses  to  recuperate/'  he  re 
plied.  '  With  the  horses  we  must  leave  a  guard.  Two 
men  will  be  as  many  as  we  can  spare.  They  must  have 
a  stockade  for  defence  should  they  be  attacked  by 
Indians  or  Spaniards." 

"  Come!  "  I  exclaimed.  "  Only  show  me  the  place, 
an  axe,  and  a  grove  of  pines.  I  will  have  your  stock 
ade  well  under  way  by  nightfall." 

He  took  me  at  my  word,  and  at  once  led  the  way 
downstream  to  the  site  of  our  last  camp  on  the  river 
before  we  struck  off  into  the  mountains  behind  the 
Grand  Peak.  On  the  way  we  met  Brown  and  his  two 
companions,  going  to  fetch  his  deer.  We  borrowed 
from  them  two  of  their  axes,  and,  arriving  at  the  camp, 
at  once  set  about  felling  pines. 

Before  nightfall  we  were  rejoined  by  Brown's 
party  and  two  others,  the  latter  bringing  in  four  sadly 
disabled  horses.  The  least  wearied  of  the  men  were 
at  once  sent  back  in  search  of  the  remaining  parties, 
carrying  a  plentiful  supply  of  deer  meat  to  supply 
those  who  might  be  famished.  To  make  a  long  story 
short,  the  ninth  of  January  saw  the  last  member  of  the 
expedition  in  camp,  safe  and  sound,  with  a  loss  all  told 
of  only  four  horses. 

To  hunt  down  a  sufficient  store  of  game  and  com 
plete  the  blockhouse  for  Baroney  and  Smith,  the  two 
men  detailed  to  stay  in  charge  of  the  bruised  and  half- 
famished  beasts,  occupied  the  party  a  full  five  days. 


Famine  and  Frost  225 

But  between  times  in  helping  and  directing  the  others, 
Pike  and  I  managed  to  take  several  observations  to 
determine  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  the  camp.  I 
also  spent  much  time  copying  the  records  of  all  our 
courses  and  distances  up  to  the  time  of  our  entry  into 
the  mountains,  and  in  elaborating  my  own  notes  on 
the  mineralogy,  etc.,  of  the  vast  rocky  ranges  trav 
ersed  by  us. 

When  finally  we  started  on  our  next  desperate 
venture,  it  was  with  hearts  far  lighter  than  backs.  I 
was  overjoyed  at  the  thought  that  I  was  at  last  to 
march  toward  the  Spanish  settlements  —  and  Ali- 
sanda!  The  others  had  their  own  good  reasons  to  be 
pleased.  Ignorant  of  what  lay  before  us,  we  were 
alike  happy  in  the  thought  that  our  faces  were  now 
turned  southward,  and  gladly  shouldered  our  heavy 
packs  for  the  march. 

Each  one  of  us  carried  a  forty-five  pound  load, 
made  up  of  Indian  presents,  tools,  ammunition,  and 
scientific  instruments.  To  this  were  added  our 
weapons  and  other  necessary  equipage  and  a  small 
quantity  of  half -dried  meat,  bringing  our  burdens  up 
to  an  average  weight  of  seventy  pounds.  Some 
packed  a  few  pounds  more,  some  less,  each  according 
to  his  strength.  Our  leader  was  among  those  who 
carried  more.  As  for  myself,  being  the  biggest  man 
of  the  party,  I  found  that  I  could  make  shift  to  start 
off  with  a  hundredweight. 

Thus,  as  we  thought,  well  provided  for  our  trip,  we 
struck  out  boldly  over  a  ridge  and  southwardly  up  a 


15 


226  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

valley  which  lay  behind  the  front,  or  easternmost 
range  of  mountains.  We  had  taken  to  calling  these 
the  Blue  Mountains,  for  though  at  this  season  they 
were  where  barren  hardly  less  snow-clad  than  the  stu 
pendous  sierra  to  the  westward  of  them,  the  pine-clad 
ridges  of  their  slopes,  no  matter  how  far  distant,  ap 
peared  colored  a  clear  dark  blue,  without  a  trace  of 
haze. 

At  the  beginning  of  our  journey  the  White  Sierra 
stood  so  far  to  the  westward,  and  our  course  lay  up 
a  winding  stream  through  such  hilly  country  that  we 
did  not  sight  their  towering  peaks  until  the  morning 
of  the  fourth  day.  After  this  they  remained  always 
in  view,  for  the  range  trended  to  the  east  of  south  in 
such  manner  as  gradually  to  approach  the  front 
range,  or  Blue  Mountains,  which  trended  south  and 
seemingly  a  little  to  the  west. 

Meantime  on  the  second  day,  the  Lieutenant, 
Sparks  and  myself  had  the  good  fortune  each  to  bring 
down  a  deer.  Deceived  by  this  seeming  abundance 
of  game,  we  added  little  of  the  fresh  meat  to  our  al 
ready  over-heavy  loads,  and  some  of  the  men  even 
threw  away  what  remained  of  the  dried  meat  in  their 
packs.  Far  better  had  we  cast  away  our  Indian  trin 
kets,  and  even  the  greater  part  of  our  tools! 

Within  half  a  day  the  very  last  of  our  food  was 
exhausted,  and  as  no  more  game  was  seen,  we  at  once 
found  ourselves  face  to  face  with  famine.  To  add  to 
our  distress,  in  crossing  over  the  valley  toward  the 
White  Mountains  two  days  later,  to  reach  a  belt  of 


Famine  and  Frost  227 

woods,  we  had  to  wade  the  creek,  and  the  cold  coming 
on  extreme,  the  feet  of  nine  of  the  men  were  severely 
frozen  before  we  could  get  fuel  and  warm  ourselves. 
We  did  what  we  could  to  draw  out  the  frost  with  snow- 
chafing,  but  in  several  instances  the  injury  had  gone 
beyond  that  remedy. 

Our  camp  that  night  was  in  truth  a  most  miserable 
one.  Not  an  ounce  of  food  had  we  eaten  in  nearly  two 
days,  and  though  we  had  an  abundance  of  pitch-pine 
for  fuel,  this  meant  only  that  we  were  free  to  crouch 
before  the  fires,  in  our  thin  tatters,  and  roast  one  side, 
while  the  other  was  pierced  by  the  terrible  frost. 
Hungry,  exhausted,  and  shivering,  we  huddled  about 
the  fires,  even  those  who  were  suffering  the  least 
being  hardly  able  to  obtain  a  few  hours  of  broken 
sleep. 

It  was  all  too  evident  that  we  must  soon  find  food, 
or  perish  of  starvation  in  this  fearful  mountain  wil 
derness.  At  dawn  Pike  and  I  took  our  rifles  and  set 
out,  aware  that  the  lives  of  all  depended  upon  the  suc 
cess  of  our  hunt. 

Spurred  on  though  we  were  by  this  dreadful  neces 
sity,  our  wide  circuits  through  the  pine  groves  and 
around  the  hills  brought  us  no  sight  of  any  game 
throughout  that  dreary  day.  At  last,  near  nightfall, 
we  came  upon  a  gaunt  old  buffalo  bull,  and  stalked 
him  with  extreme  care.  But  though  we  succeeded  in 
creeping  within  range  and  wounding  him  three  times, 
our  aim  was  so  unsteady  that  none  of  our  balls  reached 
a  vital  spot.  He  made  off  and  escaped  us. 


228  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Bitterly  disappointed,  and  weary  from  our  long 
hunt,  we  sought  shelter  in  a  group  of  rocks,  and  spent 
a  sleepless  night,  without  food  or  fire.  Neither  of  us 
had  the  heart  to  go  into  camp  and  tell  our  starving 
companions  of  our  failure. 

The  long  hours  of  midwinter  frost  and  darkness  at 
last  drew  to  an  end,  and,  half  dead  from  cold  and 
hunger,  we  set  off  again,  in  the  first  gray  light  of 
dawn. 

After  hours  of  searching,  we  sighted  a  small  drove 
of  buffalo.  Immediately  we  circled  about  to  get  down 
the  wind  from  them,  and,  by  creeping  on  all  fours 
nearly  a  mile  through  the  snow,  stalked  within  fair 
range  of  the  nearest.  By  this  time,  however,  we  were 
both  so  faint  and  quivering  from  starvation  and  over- 
exertion  that  neither  of  us  could  hold  his  gun  steady. 
Again  and  again  we  fired  and  reloaded,  the  stupid 
beasts  standing  all  unconcerned  at  the  report  of  our 
guns,  though  we  repeatedly  hit  the  nearer  members 
of  their  band.  With  muskets  we  could  surely  have 
soon  brought  down  one  or  more,  if  only  from  their 
loss  of  blood.  But  the  tiny  wound  made  by  a  rifle 
ball  is  of  little  effect  unless  a  vital  part  is  pierced. 

In  the  end  we  must  have  succeeded  by  a  chance 
shot.  But  while  we  were  yet  blazing  away  as  fast  as 
we  could  load  and  fire,  one  of  the  herd  chanced  to  drift 
around  to  where  a  flaw  in  the  wind  bore  our  scent  to 
his  sensitive  nostrils.  In  an  instant  he  had  alarmed 
the  herd,  and  all  raced  off,  snorting  with  fear,  the 
wounded  running  no  less  swiftly  than  their  fellows. 


Famine  and  Frost  229 

To  follow  such  a  stampede  was  useless.  Once  started, 
the  animals  would  run  for  hours. 

We  staggered  to  our  feet  and  gazed  after  the  flee 
ing  herd  in  utter  despair. 

"  It  is  the  end!  "  I  groaned  —  "  the  end!  We  have 
lost  our  last  chance!  " 

"We  are  outspent!"  murmured  my  companion. 
"  We  can  do  no  more !  My  poor  lads !  faithful  ever  to 
their  rash  leader !  To  think  that  I  have  led  them  into 
this  death-trap!" 

"  They  are  men!  "  I  cried  in  bitter  anger.  "  What 
is  death  to  men?  —  even  this  hideous  agony  of  hunger? 
We  can  bear  that.  But  to  die  now  —  my  God !  — 
that  I  should  die  before  seeing  her!  —  my  Alisanda!  " 

"No!  not  now!"  He  turned  upon  me  with  a 
flicker  of  feverish  resolve  in  his  hollow,  bloodshot  eyes. 
"Not  now,  not  here!  We  are  not  cowards  to  give 
up  the  struggle  while  we  can  yet  drag  ourselves 
along." 

"As  well  here  as  a  few  paces  farther  on,"  I 
muttered. 

He  dragged  at  my  arm  to  rouse  me  from  the  black 
stupor  of  mind  and  body  into  which  I  was  fast  sink 
ing.  "  John!  think  of  her!  "  he  cried.  "  You  '11  not 
give  up!  Keep  fighting,  for  her  sake,  keep  fighting, 
lad!" 

"  For  her  sake,"  I  whispered.  I  caught  at  his 
clutching  hand  and  sought  to  rally  from  that  be 
numbing  stupor.  "For  her  sake!" 

"  And  I  —  for  the  sake  of  those  —  who  await  the 


230  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

return  of  husband  and  father!  "  he  panted.  "  Come! 
We  '11  fight  —  to  the  last!" 

Death  alone  might  conquer  that  indomitable  spirit! 
We  staggered  on  through  the  bleak  wild,  our  eyes 
inflamed  and  half  blinded  by  the  snow,  peering  about 
in  vain  search  for  game.  We  did  not  turn  back.  To 
return  to  camp  empty-handed  would  have  been  the 
bitterest  of  mockeries,  supposing  we  could  have  found 
strength  to  go  so  far.  .  .  .  We  staggered  on,  but  we 
were  upon  the  verge;  we  had  all  but  reached  the 
utmost  limit  of  human  endurance.  For  four  days  we 
had  marched  over  broken  ground  and  through  the 
snowdrifts  in  this  midwinter  cold  —  four  days  without 
food!  Even  Pike's  iron  resolve  could  not  force  his 
wasted  muscles  to  perform  miracles. 

I  found  myself  dulling  even  to  the  thought  of  Ali- 
sanda.  The  end  was  close  upon  us.  A  darkness  was 
gathering  about  me.  We  were  upon  the  verge  of  ex 
haustion.  Several  times  Pike  fell,  half  fainting,  and 
presently  I  also  began  to  stumble  and  sink  down  at 
the  slightest  misstep.  Certain  that  we  were  about  to 
perish,  we  bent  every  effort  to  reach  the  nearest  trees, 
reeling  and  staggering  like  drunken  men,  or  crawling, 
between  times,  when  we  found  ourselves  unable  to 
stand. 

Half  stunned  by  one  of  my  falls,  I  lay  outstretched, 
gasping  and  quivering,  when  I  heard  Pike  utter  a 
stifled  cry.  I  strained  my  head  about,  and  to  my 
astonishment  saw  that  he  was  on  his  feet  and  running 
forward.  Staring  beyond,  over  a  snowdrift,  I  caught 


Famine  and  Frost  231 

sight  of  a  little  herd  of  buffaloes  advancing  at  an  angle 
to  our  course.  For  a  little  my  strength  came  back  as 
had  my  friend's.  Staggering  up,  I  tottered  after  him. 
By  the  most  fortunate  of  chances,  the  wind  was  in  our 
favor,  so  that  the  dull-sighted  beasts  came  on  without 
heeding  us. 

Pike  had  already  gained  a  clump  of  cedar  trees. 
Resting  the  long  barrel  of  his  rifle  across  one  of  the 
low  branches,  he  took  quick  aim  and  fired.  The  shot 
struck  the  young  cow  which  was  at  the  head  of  the 
herd.  She  stopped  short.  The  others,  sighting  us, 
wheeled  and  made  off  at  their  lumbering  gallop.  But 
to  our  amazement  and  joy,  the  wounded  animal  stood 
as  if  dazed.  I  rested  my  rifle  across  a  limb,  and  man 
aged  to  give  the  beast  a  second  wound.  A  moment 
later  Pike  flung  out  his  ramrod  and  fired  his  second 
shot.  The  cow  wheeled  half  about,  and  moved  slowly 
off  to  the  left. 

I  had  already  poured  a  double  charge  of  powder 
down  my  rifle  barrel.  Upon  this  I  drove  home  a  ball 
without  stopping  to  patch  it,  and  dashing  the  pan 
full  of  priming,  took  hasty  aim  behind  the  animal's 
shoulder.  By  good  chance  the  ball  struck  her  to  the 
heart.  Yet  even  when  she  fell  we  kept  our  places, 
hastily  reloading  our  rifles.  Not  until  she  had  lain 
for  some  moments  with  outstretched  head  did  we  ven 
ture  to  advance,  for  even  a  desperately  wounded  beast 
is  apt  to  leap  up  and  make  off  at  sight  of  the  hunters. 

Our  hunger  and  exhaustion  were  so  great  that, 
once  beside  our  kill,  we  could  not  even  wait  to  devour 


232  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

the  raw  flesh,  but  slashed  open  a  vein  in  the  neck  and 
drank  the  warm  blood.  Nothing  could  have  revived 
us  more  quickly.  Before  many  minutes  we  were  strong 
enough  to  set  about  the  dressing  of  our  game.  As 
we  worked,  we  devoured  bits  of  meat,  which  eased  our 
famished  stomachs  and  added  yet  more  to  our  slowly 
returning  strength.  By  nightfall  we  had  managed 
to  butcher  the  carcass,  and  loading  ourselves  with  as 
much  of  the  meat  as  we  could  carry,  we  staggered  off 
in  search  of  the  camp. 

When  at  last  we  sighted  the  welcome  blaze  of  the 
fires  and  dragged  ourselves  into  camp,  it  was  past 
midnight.  Neither  of  us  could  have  gone  another  fur 
long.  As  we  threw  off  our  loads  and  sank  down 
beside  the  fire,  Pike  was  seized  with  so  severe  a  ver 
tigo  that  it  was  some  time  before  he  could  sense  the 
joyful  greetings  of  our  camp-mates. 

Even  before  they  caught  sight  of  the  burdens  we 
bore,  the  brave  sufferers  had  hailed  our  approach  with 
heroic  cheerfulness.  Now,  with  every  mouthful  of 
frozen  meat,  our  leader  recovered  from  his  dizziness, 
and  generous  strips  of  steak  sizzling  on  the  green 
wood  spits,  the  spirits  of  all  rose  even  to  the  pitch  of 
merriment.  Desperate  as  was  still  our  situation,  it 
yet  seemed  like  paradise  after  the  anguish  of  body  and 
mind  through  which  we  had  passed. 

No  men,  I  venture  to  say,  ever  bore  pain  and  pri 
vation  and  hardship  with  more  heroic  fortitude  than 
was  shown  by  these  poor  fellows.  All  but  three  had 
been  compelled  to  endure  the  agony  of  their  frozen 


Famine  and  Frost  233 

feet,  in  addition  to  the  pangs  of  starvation,  and  the 
sad  truth  that  these  injuries  went  beyond  a  mere  frost 
ing  was  all  too  evident  in  the  morning,  when,  upon 
examining  the  men,  I  found  that  two  of  them,  at  the 
best,  would  have  to  give  up  their  packs  and  hobble 
along  with  the  aid  of  crutches.  As  for  Dougherty 
and  Sparks,  both  were  too  disabled  to  march  at  all. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

BEYOND   THE   BARRIER 

BUT  I  will  dwell  no  more  in  detail  upon  our  suf 
ferings  in  that  terrible  valley  of  frost  and 
famine.  Enough  said  that,  after  bringing  in  the  re 
mainder  of  the  meat  for  Sparks  and  Dougherty,  we 
left  them  and  struggled  onward  in  search  of  a  pass. 
To  linger  in  camp  with  our  disabled  comrades  would 
have  meant  certain  death  to  all.  But  many  among  us 
wept  at  the  parting,  for  few  believed  we  should  ever 
return. 

Indeed,  having  eaten  in  one  scant  meal  all  the  meat 
we  had  found  heart  to  take  from  the  injured  men,  we 
again  suffered  a  famine,  this  time  of  three  days'  dura 
tion.  It  was  then,  for  the  first  and  only  time  during 
all  our  privations,  that  one  of  the  men  murmured 
openly.  So  evident  was  it  that  his  outcry  had  been 
wrung  from  him  by  anguish  and  despair  that  the 
Lieutenant,  instead  of  shooting  him  down  in  his 
tracks  in  accordance  with  the  usual  rigor  of  military 
discipline,  chose  to  pretend  that  he  had  not  heard  the 
mutinous  words.  A  few  hours  later  we  were  the  sec 
ond  time  saved  from  starvation  by  a  fortunate  kill  of 
buffalo,  and  it  was  then,  after  we  had  feasted  to  reple 
tion  around  a  roaring  camp-fire,  that  Pike  called  the 


Beyond  the  Barrier  235 

mutineer  before  him  and  reproved  the  repentant  man 
for  his  conduct. 

At  this  camp  we  left  the  greater  part  of  the  meat 
of  the  four  buffaloes  killed,  in  the  charge  of  Hugh 
Menaugh,  one  of  the  two  men  who,  aside  from  Sparks 
and  Dougherty,  had  suffered  the  worst  from  the  frost. 
This  time,  however,  meat  being  so  abundant,  we  did 
not  fail  to  take  with  us  on  our  onward  march  enough 
of  provisions  to  last  us  for  several  days. 

Though  recuperated  by  two  days  of  feasting,  — 
for  we  had  lingered  that  length  of  time  with  Menaugh, 
—  our  first  march  out  of  his  camp  proved  one  of  the 
very  hardest  we  had  yet  made.  We  were  by  now  near 
the  top  of  a  high  plateau,  where  the  travelling  was 
even  more  difficult  than  in  the  lower  valley;  yet  we 
could  discover  no  break  in  the  white  barrier,  which, 
despite  our  high  altitude,  still  towered  up  many  hun 
dred  feet  above  us. 

It  was  almost  nightfall,  and  Pike  and  I  —  as  usual 
in  the  lead  breaking  a  way  through  the  drifts  for  the 
others  —  were  beginning  to  look  about  for  a  favorable 
camp-site,  when,  topping  a  knoll,  we  found  ourselves 
staring  down  upon  a  little  stream  whose  course  ran 
to  the  westward. 

"  Look!  "  I  shouted.  "  A  pass!  That  brook  flows 
to  the  mountains  —  into  the  mountains!" 

"  It  may  twist  about  again  to  south  and  east. 
We  have  reached  the  top  of  a  divide,"  cautioned 
Pike. 

"  No,  no!  it  cannot  be!  "  I  cried,  wild  with  delight. 


236  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  I  see  a  cleft  in  the  mountain  side!  The  sun  dazzles 
our  eyes,  but  look  beneath,  in  the  shadow." 

"  Thank  God !  "  he  sighed.  "  It  is  a  cleft !  It  must 
be  that  the  stream  flows  through  the  mountains.  If 
only  we  can  find  a  way  down  its  bed!  " 

"We  can  —  we  must!"  I  wheeled  about  to  the 
weary  men.  "Hurrah,  lads!  Stiffen  your  knees! 
We  've  found  our  pass !  Another  day  will  see  us 
beyond  the  mountains! " 

The  brave  fellows  answered  with  a  ringing  cheer. 
Drooping  heads  straightened;  tottering  steps  gave 
place  to  firm,  eager  strides.  Buoyed  up  by  renewed 
hope,  we  hurried  down  the  hillside  and  along  the 
stream  bank  until  in  the  gathering  twilight  we  could 
see  with  certainty  where  the  stream  wound  its  way 
into  the  mountain  cleft.  Assured  of  this  all-important 
fact,  we  made  our  bivouac  in  a  grove  of  pines,  and 
settled  down  to  the  happiest  night  we  had  known  in 
weeks. 

Bright  and  early  in  the  morning  we  broke  camp 
and  trudged  along  through  the  snow,  down  the  bank 
of  the  creek.  Soon  we  found  ourselves  within  the 
flanking  shoulders  of  the  mountains,  descending  a 
gorge  that  was  walled  on  either  side  with  almost  sheer 
cliffs.  I  should  speak  of  these  precipices  as  stupen 
dous  had  I  not  first  seen  the  terrific  chasm  of  the  far 
narrower  and  deeper  gorge  of  the  Arkansas. 

To  our  vast  relief,  the  bed  of  the  pass  proved  to  be 
broad  and  open  throughout,  being  clear  even  of  block 
ing  snowdrifts.  That  it  was  habitually  open  was  evi- 


Beyond  the  Barrier  237 

dent  from  the  number  of  trees  we  found  painted  with 
Indian  signs,  clear  proof  that  this  was  one  of  the  ac 
customed  paths  of  the  roaming  savages  of  the  Far 
West.  What  most  astonished  us  was  the  length  of  the 
gorge,  which  wound  and  twisted  its  way  through  the 
heart  of  the  White  Mountains  in  seemingly  endless 
extent. 

At  last,  after  we  had  marched  downward  for  twelve 
or  fourteen  miles,  a  sudden  turn  unmasked  to  our 
gaze  a  view  that  brought  us  up  short  in  our  tracks, 
with  cries  of  astonishment  and  delight.  Instead  of  the 
narrow  mountain  valley  that  we  had  expected  to  open 
before  us,  there  burst  upon  our  vision  the  panorama  of 
a  vast  park-like  country,  dotted  with  scattered  woods 
and  groves,  through  which  meandered  numerous 
branching  streams  whose  main  trunk  flowed  to  the 
southward.  It  was  many  miles  across  to  the  mountain 
range  which  bounded  the  western  side  of  this  beautiful 
valley. 

Pike  was  the  first  among  us  to  find  his  voice. 
"  Men,"  he  said  simply,  "  we  have  won  free.  The 
worst  is  now  behind  us.  This  Western  country  is  far 
lower  than  the  plateau  on  the  east  side.  It  must  be 
less  cold;  see  the  wide  stretches  of  open  ground. 
There  must  be  game  —  " 

"Ay!  look!"  I  said,  pointing  to  a  multitude  of 
black  dots  drifting  across  a  snowy  hillside.  "  Deer!  a 
herd!" 

"  An'  more  on  'em  to  yan  side,  sir!  "  sang  out  one 
of  the  men. 


238          A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  No  more  fear  of  famine !  "  exulted  Pike.  "  We  're 
safe  at  last!  " 

"  But  how  as  to  savages?  "  I  rejoined.  "  I  see  no 
smoke;  yet  in  a  country  so  abounding  in  game  —  " 

"  Say  rather,  the  Spaniards,  John." 

"What!  You  surely  do  not  think—  Yet  that 
main  stream  runs  southward.  All  the  accounts  tell 
how  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte  flows  from  the  north 
down  through  the  Province  of  Nuevo  Mexico.  Mont 
gomery!  can  it  be  —  " 

He  checked  me  with  a  gesture.  But  the  twinkle  in 
his  eyes  belied  the  soberness  of  his  answer:  "  We  have 
crossed  the  mountains  in  search  of  the  Red  River. 
Who  among  us  can  swear  that  yonder  stream  is  not 
the  Red?" 

"  Yet  I,  for  one,  am  ready  to  wager  it  is  the  Rio 
Grande!  "  I  cried.  "  The  Rio  Grande!  Only  think 
what  that  means  to  us  —  to  me !  I  have  only  to 
descend  its  banks  to  the  Spanish  settlements  —  " 

"  To  land  in  a  Spanish  gaol!  "  he  rejoined.  "  No, 
John;  it  is  for  the  Red  River  we  have  been  seeking, 
and  the  Red  River  it  shall  be,  at  the  least  until  we  have 
built  a  stockade  and  brought  up  all  the  members  of 
our  party." 

'  You  would  defy  the  Spaniards !  "   I  exclaimed. 
'  We  will  at  least  put  ourselves  into  a  position  of 
defence  before  seeking  to  communicate  with  them." 

"  But  a  stockade  on  Spanish  territory?  " 

"A  small  party  should  be  conceded  the  right  to 
provide  against  the  attacks  of  savages.  Besides,  we 


Beyond  the  Barrier  239 

have  wandered  far  into  a  region  unknown  to  us.  If 
this  is  the  Red  River,  our  side  of  the  stream  lies 
within  the  boundaries  of  Louisiana  Territory." 

I  nodded  my  understanding  of  his  position.  "  You 
are  right.  We  have  a  very  fair  argument,  and  can 
present  it  to  Don  Spaniard  quite  favorably  —  from 
behind  the  walls  of  a  stockade." 

"  Or  without  any  walls,  sir!"  put  in  Sergeant 
Meek.  "  Even  with  this  dwindled  squad,  sir,  give  us 
a  bunch  of  trees  or  scrub,  and  we  'd  stand  off  a  troop 
of  Spanish  dragoons,  or  my  name  's  not  Meek." 

"  Small  doubt  of  that,  you  old  fire-eater!  "  rejoined 
the  Lieutenant.  "  It 's  harder  to  keep  you  in  hand 
than  it  will  be  to  whip  any  enemy  we  are  like  to  find  in 
this  region." 

The  men  all  chuckled  appreciatively  at  the  joke. 

"But  just  a  little  brush  to  liven  us  up,  sir!" 
pleaded  Meek. 

"  That  may  come,  all  too  soon!  Yet  it  is  not  our 
game.  We  did  not  come  here  to  fight  the  Spaniards, 
any  more  than  we  ascended  the  Mississippi  to  fight 
Sioux  and  Chippewas  and  British  fur-traders.  No. 
Bear  in  mind  that  this  is  a  peaceful  expedition.  So 
far  am  I  from  desiring  a  hostile  encounter  with  the 
Spaniards,  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  I  could  bring 
myself  to  refuse  an  invitation  to  visit  their  settle 
ments,  should  they  tender  us  their  hospitality." 

Again  catching  the  twinkle  in  his  blue  eyes,  I  ex 
claimed  impulsively:  "True!  why  not?  Why  not 
march  on  down  the  Rio  Grande  without  delay? " 


240  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

He  shook  his  head.  "  Hold  hard,  John.  You 
forget  that  this  is  supposedly  the  Red  River.  Also 
you  forget  your  own  observation  as  to  how  much 
more  convincing  is  an  argument  when  made  from  be 
hind  a  fortification,  and,"  his  voice  sobered,  "  you  for 
get  those  whom  we  must  first  rescue." 

"  God  forgive  me!  "  I  cried.  "  That  I  should  for 
a  moment  lose  thought  of  those  poor  lads !  Give  me  a 
detail,  if  no  more  than  a  single  man.  I  will  go  back  at 
once  and  fetch  them." 

"  No,"  he  replied.  "  We  are  still  weak;  you  could 
not  bear  them  through  the  drifts,  and  they  cannot 
walk  as  yet.  We  must  first  build  a  stockade  yonder  in 
the  valley.  They  had  food  enough  to  last  many  days. 
In  good  time  I  will  send  back  a  detachment  to  the 
Arkansas  for  the  pack  train.  The  injured  lads  can  be 
brought  through  on  horseback." 

"I  will  go  now!" 

"  You  will  go  with  us,"  he  commanded.  "  If,  as  is 
possible,  we  have  come  within  measurable  distance  of 
the  Spanish  settlements,  we  must  establish  a  fort  with 
out  delay.  It  is  imperative.  I  need  every  man  of 
you." 

When  the  Lieutenant  spoke  in  that  tone,  there  was 
nothing  to  do  but  obey.  I  turned  on  my  heel  and 
swung  away  down  the  pass,  all  the  more  eager  to  ad 
vance,  since  I  might  not  turn  back. 

To  advance!  The  word  thrilled  me  throughout 
every  fibre  of  my  being.  To  advance!  Well  enough 
was  it  for  Pike  to  express  doubts — to  talk  solemnly  of 


Beyond  the  Barrier  241 

the  Red  River.  He  had  to  bear  in  mind  the  problem 
of  diplomatic  explanations  to  the  Spaniards.  But  as 
for  myself,  I  rejoiced  in  the  conviction  that  the  stream 
before  us  was  in  truth  the  Spanish  River  of  the  North; 
that  within  the  distance  of  a  few  days'  journey  south 
ward  lay  the  upper  Spanish  settlements,  beyond 
which,  somewhere  in  the  interior  of  New  Spain,  lay 
Chihuahua,  the  seat  of  government  for  the  northern 
provinces,  and  the  goal  of  my  love-quest!  I  no  longer 
doubted,  I  knew!  We  had  crossed  the  Sangre  de 
Cristo !  I  had  passed  the  Barrier ! 

Small  wonder  was  it  that  I  chafed  during  the  many 
days  which  yet  intervened  before  I  was  free  to  fare 
away  on  the  road  which  led  toward  my  lady !  First  of 
all  came  our  check  at  the  west  base  of  the  mountains, 
where  a  vast  line  of  sand  hills  blocked  our  advance  into 
the  valley  and  compelled  us  to  skirt  along  some  dis 
tance  to  the  south  before  we  could  march  out  toward 
the  river.  It  took  yet  two  more  days  for  us  to  reach 
the  main  stream  and  cross  over,  up  one  of  its  tributa 
ries,  to  a  favorable  site  for  our  stockade. 

The  first  few  days  of  February  we  spent  in  hunting 
and  in  hewing  down  cottonwood  trees  for  the  stock 
ade.  Of  buffalo  we  saw  no  sign  in  the  valley,  but 
succeeded  in  killing  a  few  deer,  and  sighted  such  vast 
droves  that  the  last  thought  of  famine  was  dispelled. 

As  soon  as  we  had  made  some  progress  on  the  fort, 
I  pressed  the  Lieutenant  to  permit  me  to  return  for 
our  comrades  on  the  back  track.  But  he,  knowing  the 
keenness  of  my  desire  to  be  off  southward,  positively 

16 


242  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

forbade  my  returning,  and  instead  detailed  Corporal 
Jackson  and  four  men  to  bring  in  Sparks,  Dougherty, 
and  Menaugh,  together  with  the  four  packs  we  had 
been  forced  to  leave  behind.  Baroney  and  Smith,  we 
thought,  could  wait  on  the  Arkansas  until  later,  when 
the  horses  should  have  had  more  time  to  regain 
strength. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  Jackson  and  his  men 
should  leave  on  the  afternoon  of  the  seventh.  But  I 
did  not  linger  to  see  them  start.  Making  hasty  prep 
aration,  I  marched  in  the  opposite  direction  at  sunrise 
of  the  same  day.  The  parting  with  my  fellows  in  the 
midst  of  this  remote  and  unknown  wilderness  affected 
me  deeply.  Despite  all  our  sharing  of  famine  and  toil 
and  bitter  cold,  I  had  not  before  realized  the  warmth 
of  attachment  between  us.  The  men  crowded  around 
to  grasp  my  hand  and  wish  me  Godspeed,  and  one  and 
all  swore  that  if  I  came  to  harm  among  the  Spaniards, 
they  would  follow  their  commander  to  the  death  in  his 
effort  to  avenge  me. 

After  this  Pike  walked  out  with  me  half  a  mile  or 
so  on  my  way,  where  we  could  say  our  farewells  in 
private,  and  none  might  see  the  tears  which  would 
come  despite  our  efforts  at  calmness.  By  now  he  was 
quite  convinced  that  I  was  going  to  my  death. 

"Farewell,  my  friend,  my  companion!"  he  ex 
claimed,  wringing  my  hand.  "  God  keep  you  from 
harm!" 

"  Wish  me  more  than  that,  Montgomery,"  I  pro 
tested. 


Beyond  the  Barrier  243 

"  Ah,  more  —  more,  with  all  my  heart!  "  he  cried. 
"  God  grant  you  win  your  way  to  your  lady  —  that 
you  win  her  sweet  self!  " 

"My  thanks,  dear  friend!"  I  choked,  gripping 
him  by  the  shoulders.  "  We  talk  of  patriotism;  but  I 
know,  and  you  know,  it  is  for  her  sake  alone  I  am  put 
ting  my  neck  into  the  noose." 

"  No,  no,"  he  rejoined.  "  It  is  not  alone  love,  it  is 
duty  as  well  that  calls  you.  And  I  fear  the  worst. 
Would  that  I  might  even  now  dissuade  you  from  the 
attempt! " 

"  Dissuade  me?  —  now?  I  should  go,  even  though 
I  felt  as  sure  as  you  do  that  the  outcome  will  be  the 
garrotte  or  a  blank  wall  and  a  firing  squad.  No; 
what  grieves  me  most  is  the  thought  that  we  may  never 
again  meet.  I  hope  to  win  my  way  to  Chihuahua;  I 
must  win  my  way  to  —  her !  But  can  I  then  leave 
New  Spain?  Never  one  of  Nolan's  men  has  come 
home." 

"  It  may  chance  that  you  will  wish  to  stay,  John." 

"  No,  not  even  for  her  sake,  unless  —  "  I  hesi 
tated  —  "  unless  the  Spanish  Creoles  rise  and  throw 
off  the  rule  of  Old  Spain." 

"A  revolution?  That  would  be  a  grand  opening 
for  you!  "  His  eyes  flashed  with  militant  fire,  only  to 
darken  again  with  grief.  "  But  the  people  of  New 
Spain  are  too  dispirited  to  revolt.  If  you  linger  in 
that  tyrannical  land,  it  will  be  as  a  prisoner  in  one  of 
their  foul  gaols  —  or  worse!  " 

"  For  her  I  'd  risk  the  worst  a  thousand  times  over! 


244  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Take  cheer!  They  will  never  suspect  me  as  a  spy. 
The  Le  Lande  claim  will  carry  me  through." 

"  God  grant  it!  "  he  cried. 

I  gave  his  hand  a  last  grip.  "  Farewell  for  a  long 
time,  my  friend!  That  you  may  not  waste  thought 
over  the  chance  of  my  return,  I  confess  that  I  have  re 
solved  to  go  to  my  lady,  whatever  may  befall." 

"  Then  you  will  not  come  back  even  if  they  rebuff 
you  at  the  upper  settlements?  " 

"  I  have  crossed  the  Barrier.  Now  I  go  to  Chi 
huahua." 

"  Farewell;   God  keep  you!  "  he  repeated. 

A  final  glance  at  the  little  log  fort,  with  its  shallow 
moat,  bristling,  staked  abatis,  and  loopholed  walls, 
above  which  floated  our  glorious  banner,  then  I  tore 
myself  from  him,  and  started  off  on  my  solitary 
journey. 

Having  meat  enough  to  last  me  some  time,  I  did 
not  stop  to  hunt,  but  continued  on  at  my  best  pace, 
southwest  and  then  more  nearly  south.  Mid-morning 
of  the  second  day  I  came  upon  a  pair  of  the  ugliest 
Indians  I  had  ever  seen.  Fortunately  they  were  not 
so  stupid  as  their  swarthy,  flat  faces  made  them  ap 
pear.  After  no  little  sign  talk,  I  at  last  overcame 
their  fear  of  me,  and  by  an  offer  of  a  few  trinkets, 
gained  their  assent  to  take  me  into  the  Spanish 
settlements. 

For  the  night  they  took  me  to  a  camp  in  the  woods 
where  their  women  were  waiting.  Being  unac 
quainted  with  the  customs  of  these  savages,  —  who  I 


Beyond  the  Barrier  245 

afterwards  learned  were  Yutahs,  —  I  passed  the  night 
without  sleep,  for  fear  of  treachery.  But  whether  be 
cause  of  my  rifle  and  pistols,  or  owing  to  their  treaty 
with  the  Spanish  whites,  my  ugly  guides  made  no 
attempt  to  attack  me.  Next  morning  we  set  out  upon 
our  way  to  Agua  Caliente,  the  first  of  the  Spanish 
towns,  which  we  reached  mid-afternoon  of  the  same 
day. 

It  was  with  the  keenest  of  emotions  that  I  first 
made  out  what  I  took  to  be  the  mud-wall  stockade,  or 
rampart,  of  this  northernmost  of  the  Spanish  settle 
ments.  At  last  I  had  arrived  at  the  inhabited  parts  of 
New  Spain,  —  I  was  about  to  venture  into  the  midst 
of  our  secretly,  if  not  openly,  hostile  Spanish  neigh 
bors.  For  all  I  knew,  the  long-threatened  war  might 
have  broken  out  months  past;  it  might  now  be  rag 
ing  with  utmost  fury.  Yet  even  the  thought  of  this 
far  from  improbable  situation  did  not  cause  me  to 
waver  for  an  instant.  I  needs  must  go  on  in  search 
of  my  lady,  though  a  thousand  Spaniards  lined  the 
road  with  guns  loaded  and  primed  to  shoot  me 
down. 

As  we  drew  near  the  town  gate,  one  of  the  tame  In 
dians  of  the  place  ran  in  with  the  news  of  my  coming. 
I  stopped,  and  was  in  the  midst  of  paying  over  the 
agreed  articles  to  my  guides,  when  a  bewhiskered 
Spanish  corporal  and  a  squad  of  dragoons  came 
charging  out  as  if  to  ride  me  down.  Some  held  their 
long  lances  levelled  at  my  breast;  others,  who  had 
rushed  off  without  their  lances,  flourished  the  short 


246  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

rifles  which  they  call  escopettes;  while  one  man  had 
only  his  big  horse  pistol.  All,  however,  carried  their 
thick  leather  shields,  which  it  seems  the  soldiers  in 
these  parts  bear  as  a  protection  against  the  arrows  of 
the  savages. 

Greatly  to  my  relief,  I  soon  perceived  that  all  this 
display  of  weapons  and  horsemanship  was  intended 
rather  as  a  greeting  than  a  menace.  As  they  replaced 
their  lances  in  the  sockets  and  brought  their  curvet 
ting  mounts  to  a  stand,  the  corporal  saluted  me  in  a 
most  hospitable  manner.  At  this,  having  good  rea 
sons  for  concealing  what  little  knowledge  of  Spanish 
I  possessed,  I  demanded,  in  French,  to  be  taken  be 
fore  the  commanding  officer  of  the  place.  Whether 
or  not  the  fellow  understood  my  words,  he  sprang 
off  courteously  beside  me,  and  made  a  sign  for 
me  to  accompany  him  into  the  town.  The  others 
took  his  horse  in  lead,  and  followed  us  at  a  few 
paces. 

As  we  passed  the  gate,  I  perceived  that  what  I  had 
taken  for  a  great  stockade  of  unbaked  mud  brick  was 
in  fact  no  other  than  the  rear  walls  of  a  continuous 
row  of  houses,  built  in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square, 
and  with  inward-facing  doors.  The  town  was  thus  of 
itself  a  most  effectual  fortification  against  the  savages 
of  this  region,  the  walls  of  the  houses  extending  up 
above  the  flat  roofs  so  as  to  form  a  convenient  parapet 
for  the  defenders  against  the  arrows  and  even  the 
guns  of  their  assailants.  Very  few  of  these  Southwest 
Indians,  however,  possess  firearms,  and  as  they  also 


Beyond  the  Barrier  247 

lack  scaling  ladders,  it  does  not  detract  from  the  effec 
tiveness  of  the  defence  that  none  of  the  houses  is  above 
a  story  in  height.  This  last  was  also  true  of  the 
rows  of  like  buildings  laid  off  in  streets  within  the 
square. 

At  the  time,  however,  I  had  little  opportunity  to 
observe  either  this  Moorish  architecture,  which  the 
Spaniards  brought  with  them  from  Old  Spain,  or  the 
curious  appearance  of  the  tame  Indians,  who  made  up 
the  majority  of  the  town's  inhabitants.  The  corporal 
at  once  led  me  into  the  presence  of  the  commandant, 
who,  finding  that  I  claimed  to  be  of  French  blood, 
expressed  himself  in  French  as  vastly  astonished  at 
the  presence  of  an  American  in  this  remote  region, 
particularly  in  view  of  the  season. 

Before  we  had  finished  our  interview,  I  was  no  less 
astonished  to  learn  that  I  was  not  the  first  American 
to  arrive  in  the  country.  This  does  not  refer  to  the 
French  Creole  Le  Lande,  who  had  settled  between 
here  and  Santa  Fe  and  had  done  so  well  with  his  stolen 
goods  that  he  was  already  known  as  a  rico.  Some 
thing  over  a  year  before  our  coining,  one  of  our  dar 
ing  Western  fur-hunters  named  Pursley,  an  Ameri 
can  by  blood  as  well  as  allegiance,  had  traversed  the 
prairies  from  the  Missouri,  and  falling  in  with  a  great 
party  of  Kyoways  and  Comanches  near  our  Grand 
Peak,  had  come  down  with  them  to  the  Spanish  set 
tlements. 

I  received  this  account  while  dining  with  the  com 
mandant,  he  being  so  hospitable  as  to  invite  me  to  his 


248  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

table,  notwithstanding  my  tattered  and  wretched  ap 
pearance.  But  first,  having  learned  my  ostensible 
reason  for  coming  to  New  Mexico,  he  had  sent  off  a 
soldier,  post-haste,  with  despatches  to  Governor  Al- 
lencaster  at  Santa  Fe. 

After  weeks  and  months  of  dieting  on  the  flesh  of 
wild  game,  much  of  the  time  without  salt,  and  even 
longer  without  so  much  as  corn  to  vary  the  monot 
ony,  it  was  only  with  the  greatest  effort  that  I  could 
restrain  myself  from  gluttonizing  on  my  host's  fiery 
chili  con  came,  his  hot  corn-cakes  and  beans,  his  de 
licious  chocolate  and  dulces.  All  the  time  he  was  re 
peating  polite  apologies  for  the  meagreness  of  his 
fare.  To  me  it  was  no  less  than  a  banquet,  and  I 
feasted  until  prudence  forced  me  to  deny  myself  an 
other  mouthful. 

That  night,  for  the  first  time  in  seven  months,  I 
slept  upon  a  mattress,  which,  according  to  the  custom 
of  New  Spain,  was  laid  upon  the  floor.  The  nearest 
approach  to  a  bedstead  in  this  benighted  land  is  a 
bench-like  bank  of  mud  brick  along  the  wall,  in  some 
of  the  houses.  Chairs  and  divans  are  none  too 
plentiful,  even  in  the  homes  of  the  cultured  rich, 
the  people  in  general  preferring  to  recline  or  to  sit 
Turk-fashion  upon  mats  or  mattresses  laid  along  the 
floor. 

Early  in  the  morning  I  was  informed  that  an  escort 
was  in  waiting  to  guide  me  to  Santa  Fe.  The  kind 
ness  of  the  commandant  in  providing  me  with  numer 
ous  articles  of  civilized  comfort  induced  me  to  accede 


Beyond  the  Barrier  249 

without  protest  to  his  politely  worded  hint  that  it 
would  be  better  for  me  to  leave  behind  my  weapons  and 
ammunition,  which  he  promised  to  send  on  in  a  few 
days. 

Having  given  myself  singly  into  the  hands  of  the 
Spanish,  I  knew  that  diplomacy  was  now  my  sole  re 
source,  the  thought  of  a  resort  to  force  being  sheer 
madness. 


CHAPTER   XX 

A   MESSAGE   TO   MY   LADY 

DURING  the  journey  to  Santa  Fe,  while  stop 
ping  over  at  the  town  of  San  Juan,  where  I  was 
treated  with  the  utmost  warmth  of  hospitality,  I  was 
able  to  inform  myself  as  to  the  prosperous  condition 
of  the  trader  Le  Lande,  who  had  married  and  settled 
in  the  vicinity.  But  my  apprehensions  as  to  my  recep 
tion  by  the  Governor  of  this  remote  province  pre 
vented  me  from  taking  as  deep  an  interest  either  in 
that  rascal  or  in  the  strange  customs  and  appearance 
of  these  Mexican  people  as  I  should  have  felt  in  easier 
circumstances. 

Unlike  Agua  Calient e  and  some  of  the  other  small 
settlements  we  had  passed,  I  found  Santa  Fe  a  town 
widely  scattered  in  the  outskirts.  Many  of  the  low 
adobe  buildings  which  made  up  the  bulk  of  the  place 
stood  each  in  its  tiny  patch  of  field,  which,  early  as 
was  the  season,  the  people  were  beginning  to  cultivate 
with  their  rude  ploughs  and  mattocks.  Within  these 
suburbs,  however,  the  houses  crowded  closer  and 
closer  together,  until  they  were  for  the  most  part 
separated  only  by  streets  that  were  no  less  narrow  and 
crooked  than  dirty.  A  more  striking  difference  be 
tween  this  two-century-old  settlement  and  the  ones 


A  Message  to  My  Lady         251 

up-country  was  the  presence  of  the  two  huge  adobe 
churches  which  towered  among  the  hovels,  all  the  more 
imposing  for  the  contrast.  Their  windows,  like  those 
of  the  better  houses,  were  glazed  with  sheets  of  thin, 
transparent  talc. 

I  was  at  once  taken  past  the  rectangle  of  the  sol 
diers'  barracks  to  the  great  open  court,  or  plaza,  in  the 
midst  of  the  town,  where  we  came  to  the  house  of  the 
Governor.  By  this  time  I  and  my  escort  were  sur 
rounded  by  a  number  of  mestizos  and  tame  Indians, 
all  of  whom,  however,  drew  away  when  we  entered  the 
palace  through  an  open,  brick-paved  portico,  or  shed. 
After  the  plainness  of  the  exterior,  I  was  astonished 
by  the  ornate  furnishings  of  the  rooms  within,  whose 
limed  walls  were  hung  with  bright-figured  drapes  and 
whose  floors  of  beaten  clay  were  spread  with  skin 
rugs. 

Little  time  was  given  me  to  wonder  at  what  to  my 
unaccustomed  eyes  seemed  most  magnificent  decora 
tions.  I  was  quickly  shown  on  into  a  large  apartment, 
at  the  upper  end  of  which  sat  a  sallow-faced,  corpulent 
Spanish  don.  I  had  no  need  to  look  at  the  secretary 
and  the  other  attendants  grouped  about  his  high  chair 
to  realize  that  I  was  in  the  presence  of  Don  Joachin 
Allencaster.  The  harshness  of  his  glance  as  I  was  led 
before  him  was  enough  of  proof;  for  until  now,  all 
whom  I  had  met,  even  to  the  most  ignorant  and  dog 
matic  of  the  priests,  had  treated  me  with  the  deference 
of  true  hospitality. 

Not  until  this  moment  had  I  fully  realized  the 


252  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

wretchedness  of  my  appearance.  Though  the  kind 
ness  of  the  commandant  at  Agua  Caliente  had  pro 
vided  me  with  a  bath  and  a  cotton  shirt,  I  still  wore 
my  tattered  buckskins;  upon  my  head  was  my  old 
coonskin  cap,  which  had  been  half  singed  by  a  fall  in 
the  fire;  my  limbs  and  feet  were  clad  in  moccasins  and 
leggings  of  fresh  buffalo  hide,  the  raw  surface  out 
ward  ;  while  about  my  shoulders  my  unkempt  hair  fell 
down  in  loose  and  shaggy  locks,  as  barbarous  as  the 
eight  months'  beard  upon  my  lean,  starved  face. 

"  Por  Dios!  "  exclaimed  His  Excellency.  Having 
doubtless  been  informed  in  the  despatches  that  I 
claimed  to  be  a  Frenchman,  he  addressed  me  in  that 
language:  "  Sacre!  You  have  come  here,  the  second 
American  in  two  years,  to  spy  upon  my  province! " 

"  Your  Excellency,"  I  replied,  "  I  had  thought  the 
Commandant  of  Agua  Caliente  wrote  you  regarding 
the  purpose  of  my  visit  to  New  Spain.  As  to  this 
Pursley,  if  it  is  to  him  you  refer  as  my  fellow  spy,  I 
had  never  before  so  much  as  heard  of  the  man  until 
told  at  Agua  Caliente.  The  Commandant  can  tell 
you  how  astonished  I  was  when  he  informed  me  of 
Pursley's  exploit  in  penetrating  the  wilderness.  For 
my  part,  I  should  surmise  that  he  is  no  more  than  one 
of  our  venturesome  fur-hunters.  But  if  you  insist 
upon  your  suspicions,  why  not  include  Baptiste  Le 
Lande  with  us  in  a  trio  of  spies?  " 

Throughout  this  the  Governor  had  continued  to  re 
gard  me  with  great  austerity.  Quite  unmoved  by  my 
attempt  at  lightness,  he  now  signed  to  his  secretary, 


A  Message  to  My  Lady         253 

and  spoke  to  me  in  a  most  peremptory  tone:  "  Your 
papers,  fellow! " 

I  drew  out  the  documents  relating  to  the  Le  Lande 
claim  and  handed  them  over  to  the  secretary.  His 
Excellency  demanded  their  purport,  which  I  gave  as 
clearly  and  briefly  as  my  French  would  permit. 

"We  shall  see,"  he  commented,  when  I  ended 
my  account.  '  Your  papers  will  be  examined,  and  I 
will  send  for  Le  Lande.  Meantime  you  will  consider 
yourself  under  arrest.  You  will  be  given  quarters  in 
the  rooms  assigned  for  officers  in  confinement,  but  you 
are  at  liberty  within  the  bounds  of  the  town,  if  accom 
panied  by  your  guard." 

With  this,  he  appointed  a  corporal  of  the  regular 
dragoons  to  attend  upon  me  both  as  guard  and  waiter, 
and  I  was  promptly  led  out.  During  the  short  delay 
which  followed,  I  had  no  cause  to  complain  of  my 
treatment.  The  corporal  proved  a  most  accommo 
dating  servant,  and  my  meals  were  sent  to  me  from 
His  Excellency's  own  table.  In  addition,  the  hospi 
tality  of  the  leading  people  of  Santa  Fe  was  so  cordial 
that  I  should  have  enjoyed  greatly  the  two  days  I  had 
to  wait,  had  it  not  been  for  my  fears  that  the  Governor 
might  detain  me  for  an  indefinite  period,  or  send  me 
eastward  out  of  the  province,  into  the  country  of  the 
Comanches. 

When,  therefore,  he  again  called  me  before  him,  and 
stated  that  he  had  inquired  and  found  that  Le  Lande 
was  incapable  of  discharging  the  claim  presented  by 
me,  I  declared  boldly  that  I  knew  this  to  be  a  mistake, 


254  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

and  that  it  appeared  to  me  His  Excellency  was  seek 
ing  to  shelter  a  refugee  debtor  of  my  country,  in  viola 
tion  of  the  treaties  between  Spain  and  the  United 
States. 

"  Look  to  it,  Your  Excellency!  "  I  concluded,  with 
all  the  heat  and  indignation  I  could  affect.  "  Look  to 
it!  This  is  no  light  matter.  The  man  is  an  outright 
thief,  and  the  treaty  rights  of  Monsieur  Morrison  are 
clear.  I  insist  upon  the  payment  of  this  claim.  If  I 
cannot  obtain  justice  of  Your  Excellency,  I  will  ap 
peal  to  the  Governor- General." 

This  last  stirred  him  out  of  the  daze  of  astonishment 
into  which  he  had  been  thrown  by  the  audacity  of  my 
heated  protest.  Governors  of  Spanish  provinces  are 
not  accustomed  to  being  bearded  by  their  inferiors  in 
rank,  much  less  by  lone  foreigners  suspected  of  espion 
age.  But  at  my  mention  of  his  superior,  he  found  his 
voice. 

"  Ah!  "  he  exclaimed,  and  I  marked  the  change  in 
his  tone.  "  Madre  de  Dios!  You  would  go  to 
Chihuahua?" 

"  No  offence  to  Your  Excellency,"  I  hastened  to 
protest,  affecting  to  believe  him  alarmed  for  himself. 
"  It  may  well  be  that  your  authority  is  so  limited 
that  you  cannot  satisfy  my  claim.  My  complaint 
against  your  refusal  will  be  purely  formal.  In  truth, 
I  prefer  to  have  the  decision  of  the  Governor- General, 
if  only  to  obtain  a  precedent  in  the  adjudication  of 
similar  claims  which  may  be  presented  in  other  prov 
inces  under  his  rule." 


A  Message  to  My  Lady          255 

"For  Dios!  You  wish  to  go  to  Chihuahua!"  he 
repeated.  I  believe  he  would  have  been  less  amazed 
had  I  urged  him  to  let  me  go  to  the  gallows.  '  To 
Chihuahua!  to  Salcedo!"  he  murmured. 

"  Why  not,  Your  Excellency?  "    I  inquired. 

His  sallow  cheeks  darkened  with  a  sudden  return 
of  his  suspicions,  and  he  sought  to  transfix  me  with  his 
glance. 

"  Caramba! "  he  muttered.  "  Tell  me  clearly  how 
you  came  across  all  that  vast  desert.  You  came  from 
the  northward.  Did  you  then  cross  the  mountains?  " 

I  described  briefly  that  terrible  march  south  and 
west  from  the  Grand  Peak.  He  listened  with  grow 
ing  wonderment. 

" Poder  de  Dios!  It  is  impossible!"  he  cried. 
"  Malgares  has  told  me  of  that  gigantic  peak  and  the 
sierra  you  crossed.  It  is  not  possible !  The  Sangre  de 
Cristo,  and  in  midwinter  —  afoot!  " 

"  Yet  it  is  true,  Your  Excellency." 

Again  his  eye  sought  to  pierce  me  with  its  suspi 
cious  stare. 

"  Your  party?  "  he  demanded.  "  You  have  spoken 
of  hunters.  Who  are  they?  —  and  where?  " 

Having  now  some  of  the  details  of  Pursley's  adven 
tures  to  copy,  I  told  a  connected  tale  of  having  ac 
companied  some  O sages  from  St.  Louis  to  the  Pawnee 
country,  in  search  of  the  recreant  Le  Lande,  when, 
learning  of  his  flight  to  New  Mexico,  I  had  wandered 
westward  with  a  small  party  of  hunters  to  the  Grand 
Peak  and  then  southwest  over  the  mountains,  until 


256  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

we  came  to  what  was  supposed  to  be  the  Red  River, 
where  my  companions  had  stopped  to  hunt. 

At  the  end  of  my  recital,  he  sat  for  some  moments 
studying  me.  Then,  with  a  most  disconcerting  sud 
denness:  "  Senor,  you  will  honor  me  with  your  pres 
ence  at  table." 

He  rose  at  the  words,  and  leaving  all  the  others 
gaping,  conducted  me  down  a  corridor  to  his  dining- 
room.  It  was  now  high  noon,  and  we  found  the  table 
already  spread  for  the  midday  meal,  which  is  the  prin 
cipal  repast  of  the  day  among  the  Spaniards  in 
Mexico. 

A  plate  was  laid  for  myself  opposite  His  Excel 
lency's,  and  we  sat  down  in  civilized  fashion  to  a  meal 
which  would  have  graced  the  table  of  the  richest 
Spanish  Creole  in  all  Louisiana.  There  were  trout 
from  the  neighboring  streams,  a  variety  of  meats  and 
fowl,  good  wheaten  bread  altogether  unlike  the  un 
appetizing  corn  tortillas  of  the  commonfolk,  chocolate 
and  dulces,  fine  raisins  from  the  Paso  del  Norte,  and 
a  bottle  or  two  of  most  excellent  wine. 

Throughout  our  repast  His  Excellency  addressed 
himself  to  me  as  one  gentleman  to  another,  so  that  I 
found  myself  continually  in  a  stress  of  excitement  be 
tween  apprehension  and  hope.  Our  conversation  was 
for  the  most  part  directed  to  European  topics,  dwell 
ing  much,  as  must  every  discussion  of  transatlantic 
affairs,  upon  the  career  of  that  most  marvellous  of 
men,  the  Emperor  of  the  French. 

But  with  the  wine  and  the  cigarros,  His  Excellency 


A  Message  to  My  Lady         257 

seemed  to  recollect  for  the  first  time  the  small  but  none 
the  less  important  affairs  of  our  own  personal  concern. 

"  I  begin  to  be  convinced,  senor  physician,  that  you 
are  indeed  a  man  of  genteel  breeding,"  he  said.  "  If, 
however,  you  will  pardon  the  remark,  I  have  grave 
doubt  whether  a  Frenchman  of  your  education  would 
commit  so  many  errors  in  the  use  of  his  native 
language." 

I  smiled.  "  Mon  Dieu!  Your  Excellency,  we  of 
St.  Louis  have  not  the  facilities  for  visiting  la  belle 
France  possessed  by  our  fellow  Creoles  of  New  Or 
leans.  It  is  a  century  or  more  since  my  ancestors 
came  to  the  New  World." 

"  And  you  have  dwelt  much  among  the  Anglo- 
Americans,"  he  insinuated. 

"  It  is  true,"  I  replied  with  candor.  "  I  obtained 
my  diploma  as  a  physician  from  the  college  of  Colum 
bia  in  the  city  of  New  York." 

He  stiffened  with  a  sudden  return  of  austerity. 
"  Senor,  I  no  longer  doubt  that  you  are  a  caballero  — 
a  gentleman.  I  will  not  press  you  to  confess  your  ul 
terior  motive  in  coming  into  the  domains  of  His  Most 
Catholic  Majesty.  Yet,  if  you  carry  secret  documents 
(I  am  disinclined  to  have  you  searched) ,  I  ask  you  to 
give  me  your  word  whether  or  not  you  carry  such 
despatches." 

"  Your  Excellency,"  I  answered,  "  I  give  you  my 
word  that  I  do  not.  The  documents  I  handed  over 
into  Your  Excellency's  keeping  were  all  I  brought 
with  me." 

17 


258  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  Sat  anas!  "  he  cried,  his  face  flushing  with  sudden 
violent  anger.  "  Such  duplicity!  Such  treachery!  " 

"  If  you  will  be  so  kind  as  to  explain,  senor,"  I  said 
with  unaffected  astonishment. 

"You  hold  to  it?  Carrajo!  How  then  of  the 
packet  in  your  bosom?  " 

:<  That?  "  I  exclaimed,  at  once  perceiving  the  cause 
of  his  continued  suspicion.  Some  one  had  spied  upon 
me  and  seen  the  packet.  I  reached  my  hand  into  my 
hunting-shirt,  only  to  hesitate  and  draw  it  out  again, 
empty.  It  seemed  a  profanation  to  expose  my  treas 
ures  to  his  gaze. 

"  You  pause !  You  dare  not  produce  the  packet ! 
In  it  lies  your  condemnation!  "  he  cried. 

The  folly  of  my  course  flashed  upon  me.  Why 
should  I  set  a  mere  fanciful  sentiment  against  the 
lulling  of  his  suspicions?  If  I  did  not  myself  hand 
over  the  packet,  he  would  have  it  taken  from  me  by 
force. 

He  started  to  rise,  but  I  caught  the  little  bundle 
from  my  bosom  and  reached  it  across  the  table.  In 
stead  of  rising,  he  bent  forward,  and,  with  forced  de 
liberation,  began  to  open  the  folds  of  the  waxed 
parchment  cover.  First  exposed  was  the  corner  of 
the  flag. 

"Aha!"  he  exclaimed,  his  eyes  flashing  across  at 
me  in  fieriest  anger.  "  Explain  that,  if  you  can!  —  a 
malicious  desecration  of  the  flag  of  His  Most  Catholic 
Majesty!" 

"  Not  so!  "  I  flung  back  at  him.     "  Look  what  is 


A  Message  to  My  Lady         259 

marked  upon  it.  Those  letters  were  a  message  to  me. 
I  found  it  within  the  undisputed  boundaries  of  my 
country,  at  the  town  of  the  Pawnee  Republicans.  It 
was  a  message  to  me,  and  I  took  it,  for  it  was  mine." 

"  Ah!  ah!  a  message!    You  confess,  senor  spy!  " 

I  pointed  to  the  last  unwrapped  fold.  He  turned  it 
open,  his  face  keen  with  exultant  expectation.  The 
now  powdered  leaves  of  the  magnolia  bloom  puzzled 
him  for  the  moment.  Not  so  the  handkerchief.  His 
eye  was  instantly  caught  by  the  initials  in  the  corner. 
Without  a  second  glance,  he  averted  his  gaze  until  he 
had  drawn  up  the  edge  of  the  snowy  damask  cloth 
over  my  stained  and  crumpled  treasures. 

"  Perdone,  hermano! "  he  murmured,  with  a  most 
apologetic  bow.  "  Be  pleased  to  regain  your 
property." 

With  that  he  left  the  table  and  stood  with  his  back 
to  me  until  I  had  folded  up  the  packet  and  replaced  it 
within  my  bosom. 

"  Your  Excellency,"  I  said,  "  the  world  has  heard 
much  about  the  chivalrous  gallantry  of  your  people. 
I  am  now  convinced  the  half  has  not  been  told  of  it!  " 

"  Muchas  gracias,  senor!"  he  returned.  "You 
pardon  my  stupid  error?  Yours  is  the  act  of  a  true 
caballero!  If  the  question  does  not  trench  upon  deli 
cate  ground,  may  I  venture  an  inquiry  as  to  the  possi 
ble  relation  of  your  daring  journey — ?  " 

"  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  lady  is  at  Chihua 
hua,  Your  Excellency,"  I  explained. 

"Ah!  ah!  now  I  perceive!    Yet  what  an  amor  to 


260  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

bring  any  man  across  the  vast  desert!  —  above  all, 
over  the  Sangre  de  Cristo  in  midwinter! " 

"  It  was  the  barrier  which  lay  between  myself  and 
my  lady,  Your  Excellency." 

ff  Por  Dios!  You  Americanos!  You  will  yet  be 
flying  to  the  moon!  Malgares  told  me  fully  of  the 
perils  of  the  desert,  and  he  had  six  hundred  men,  and 
it  was  in  the  pleasant  season.  But  one  man  or  a  mere 
handful,  however  brave  —  Santisima  Firgen!  " 

"  Malgares?  "  I  repeated. 

"  Lieutenant  Malgares,  who  led  the  expedition  to 
the  savages  of  the  East  and  North.  On  your  way  to 
Chihuahua  you  will  have  opportunity  to  learn  that  he 
is  a  true  caballero." 

"Chihuahua?"  I  exclaimed.  "Your  Excellency 
will  then  permit  me  to  go  to  Chihuahua?  " 

"  Quien  sabe?  "  he  smiled.  "  God  alone  knows  the 
future!  But  I  will  send  despatches,  and  it  may  well 
happen  that  they  will  not  be  in  disfavor  of  your 
going.  But  as  for  the  decision,  that  is  with  His  Ex 
cellency,  Don  Nimesio  Salcedo,  the  Commandant- 
General." 

A  sudden  thought  aided  me  to  rally  from  my  disap 
pointment. 

"  Your  Excellency,"  I  asked,  "  if  I  should  seal  and 
address  one  article  contained  in  my  packet  before  your 
eyes,  might  I  not  ask  the  favor  that  it  be  delivered  at 
Chihuahua  to  the  lady  addressed?  " 

"  Santa  Maria!  "  he  returned,  "  it  is  always  a  pleas 
ure  to  aid  a  lover.  Come  now!  We  will  seal  your 


A  Message  to  My  Lady         261 

message  with  my  own  seal.  There  are  those  between 
us  and  your  Dulcinea  who  might  otherwise  peer  within 
the  cover.  The  address  you  shall  write  upon  it  in  pri 
vate  with  my  own  quill,  and  none  shall  see  the  name  of 
the  senorita.  She  is  not  married ? "  (I  signed  that  she 
was  not.)  "  None  shall  see  her  name  except  my  mes 
senger  when  he  opens  the  despatch-pouch  for  delivery 
at  Chihuahua." 

" Muchas  gracias,  Your  Excellency!"  I  mur 
mured,  overcome. 

"  Ah!  ah!  "  he  murmured,  leaning  upon  my  bony 
shoulder  as  we  started.  "  The  years  pass,  but  I,  too, 
once  had  my  romance,  senor!  " 


CHAPTER   XXI 

HO  FOR  CHIHUAHUA! 

SO  it  was  that  for  the  time  being  I  found  myself  re 
ceived  into  the  society  of  the  most  powerful  offi 
cial  of  the  North  Province  with  a  favor  as  cloudless 
and  warm  as  the  blue  sky  above  his  chief  town.  Yet, 
on  the  other  hand,  having  been  requested  by  His  Ex 
cellency  to  prescribe  for  the  dropsy  with  which  he  was 
afflicted,  I  laid  myself  open  to  trouble  by  giving  a 
treatment  different  from  that  previously  prescribed  by 
the  monk  who  was  his  regular  physician.  The  result 
was  soon  evident  in  the  poisoning  of  His  Excellency's 
mind  against  the  heretic. 

But  in  the  few  hours  of  practical  liberty  which  in 
tervened,  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  my  fellow- 
countryman,  James  Pursley.  He  proved  to  be  one  of 
our  typical  gaunt,  long-legged  Kentuckians,  with  a 
bearded  face  as  resolute  and  formidable  as  that  of  our 
fighting  sergeant  Meek.  Still  better  proof  of  his  dar 
ing  character  lay  in  the  fact  that  he  had  been  wander 
ing  on  the  prairies  for  two  years  or  more  before  he  fell 
in  with  the  great  company  of  Comanches  and  Kyo- 
ways  whose  encampment  we  had  found  on  the  head 
waters  of  the  Platte,  and  with  whom  he  had  come 
south  to  the  vicinity  of  the  Spanish  settlements.  Ven- 


Ho  for  Chihuahua!  263 

turing  into  Santa  Fe,  he  had  been  fairly  well  received 
by  the  Spanish,  and  though  forbidden  to  leave  certain 
bounds,  was  otherwise  free,  and  doing  quite  well  as  a 
carpenter. 

As  my  attendant  corporal  knew  nothing  else  than 
Spanish,  Pursley  and  I  were  able  to  talk  with  the  ut 
most  freedom.  When,  in  the  midst  of  the  account  of 
his  truly  remarkable  adventures,  he  told  how  he  had 
found  gold  on  the  upper  reaches  of  the  Platte,  west 
erly  of  the  Grand  Peak,  and  how  he  had  refused  to 
divulge  the  place  to  the  Spaniards  because  it  might  lie 
within  the  bounds  of  Louisiana  Territory,  I  became  so 
convinced  of  his  stanch  loyalty  and  patriotism  that 
I  confided  in  him  the  circumstances  of  our  party. 

He  was  immensely  interested,  but  shook  his  head 
over  my  suggestion  that  he  should  attempt  to  join  the 
expedition.  He  did  not  see  how  this  could  be  of  any 
benefit  either  to  the  party  or  to  himself,  especially,  he 
explained,  as  Allencaster  had  already  sent  out  well- 
mounted  spies  to  find  and  report  on  the  party  of 
hunters  with  whom  I  claimed  companionship.  He, 
Pursley,  could  not  hope  to  overtake  these  expert 
horsemen;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  if  caught  trying 
to  escape,  he  would  surely  be  jailed  in  the  terrible 
calabozo. 

In  the  midst  of  our  argument  of  the  question,  I  was 
summoned  into  the  presence  of  the  Governor.  He 
met  me  with  a  frown,  and  showed  how  closely  I  had 
been  watched  by  peremptorily  ordering  me  to  hold  no 
further  communication  with  Pursley.  My  attempt  at 


264          A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

a  French  shrug  flung  him  into  a  passion,  in  which  he 
decreed  my  exile  to  San  Fernandez,  a  tiny  village  four 
days  south  of  Santa  Fe,  there  to  remain  in  the  charge 
of  Lieutenant  Malgares  until  word  should  come  from 
Chihuahua. 

Finding  His  Excellency  thus  once  more  harshly 
disposed,  I  was  not  altogether  reluctant  at  being  ban 
ished,  more  especially  as  my  exile  was  in  the  direction 
I  wished  to  travel.  Nor  did  I  regret  the  change  when 
I  came  to  San  Fernandez  and  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Lieutenant  Don  Faciendo  Malgares. 

He  was,  I  soon  learned,  the  son  of  one  of  the  royal 
judges  of  the  Kingdom  of  New  Spain,  and  immensely 
wealthy.  But  neither  his  birth  nor  his  wealth  pre 
vented  him  from  being  the  most  courteous  gentleman 
I  have  ever  met.  That  he  was  a  daring  and  dashing 
officer  was  evident  from  his  modest  account  of  that  re 
markable  excursion  through  the  heart  of  the  Co- 
manche  country  and  north  to  the  Pawnees. 

The  question  of  his  expedition  chanced  to  come  up 
within  a  week  after  my  arrival,  and  having  already 
gauged  his  gallant  character,  I  felt  free  to  rally  him 
upon  his  invasion  of  our  domain. 

"  Norn  de  Dieu! "  I  mocked,  as  he  concluded  by 
telling  how  his  party  had  returned  southward  from  the 
Arkansas,  along  the  outer  face  of  the  front  range  of 
mountains,  and  into  Santa  Fe  through  an  easy  pass 
eastward  of  that  town.  "  Norn  de  Dieu!  you  invade 
territory  indisputably  ours  with  a  force  little  short  of 
a  regiment;  yet  when  I  would  repay  the  compliment, 


Ho  for  Chihuahua!  265 

—  one  lone  man,  lost  in  the  Western  wilds,  your 
righteous  Governor  has  a  mind  to  garrotte  me! " 

"  Not  he,  senor,"  replied  Malgares.  "  Rest  as 
sured  he  will  leave  that  to  the  decision  of  the  Governor- 
General." 

"  He  will  send  me  to  Chihuahua!  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  I  fear  as  much,  senor.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  General  Salcedo  will  order  you  before  him." 

"  Quien  sabe? "  I  muttered,  affecting  a  doleful 
tone.  My  fear  had  been  that  I  might  be  sent  the  other 
way.  A  sudden  thought  brought  my  hand  to  my 
bosom.  "  Per  done,  senor  lieutenant,  if  I  seem  im 
pertinent,  but  is  it  usual  for  Spanish  officers  to  present 
savages  with  banners  embroidered  by  the  ladies? " 

He  stared  at  me  blankly.  "Embroidered  ban 
ners?" 

"  I  chanced  to  visit  that  Pawnee  town  some  three 
weeks  after  yourself.  Examining  the  flag  you  left,  I 
observed  upon  its  lower  corner  —  " 

"Ah!"  he  interrupted,  "I  comprehend.  The 
flag  from  Senorita  Vallois.  But  I  assure  you,  Senor 
Robinson,  it  was  the  lady's  own  whim.  She  requested 
me  to  fly  her  banner  at  the  point  where  I  should 
make  nearest  approach  to  your  settlements." 

"  Ah!  "  I  exclaimed,  in  turn,  masking  my  delight 
with  difficulty.  "  So  your  Spanish  senoritas  still  send 
out  their  knights  errant  bearing  their  colors." 

"  True,"  he  replied.  "  Yet  you  mistake  in  part. 
It  was  not  Senora  Malgares  who  gave  me  the  banner 
in  question,  but  her  friend,  Senorita  Vallois." 


266  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"Vallois?"  I  repeated;  — "VaUois?  That  is  a 
French  name." 

"  No  less  is  it  Spanish,  senor;  though  it  is  in  point 
that  my  friend  Don  Pedro  claims  descent  from  French 
royalty.  One  can  well  believe  the  claim  in  the  pres 
ence  of  his  niece." 

"My  word  to  that!"  I  cried.  "  She's  the  most 
beautiful  lady  under  heaven!  " 

(f  Santisima  Virgen! "  he  exclaimed.  "  You  know 
her? " 

"  I  had  the  honor  of  meeting  her  in  my  own 
country." 

By  a  flash  of  intuition  he  divined  all  on  the  in 
stant.  "Dios!"  he  murmured,  and  he  swept  me  a  wide 
bow.  "A  love  that  could  draw  a  man  across  that 
vast  desolation  of  desert  and  sierra!  Most  unjust  the 
fate  that  would  not  requite  the  deed!  " 

"  You  have  seen  her.  Do  you  wonder  that  I  should 
have  made  the  venture?  " 

"  Less  than  a  year  has  passed  since  I  won  my  own 
lady,"  he  said.  "  The  Virgin  grant  that  I  may  be  the 
one  to  escort  you  to  Chihuahua!  I  have  not  seen  my 
senora  since  I  marched  north,  last  year." 

When  a  Spaniard  opens  his  heart  to  you,  count  on  it 
you  have  found  a  friend.  I  nodded  understandingly. 

"  Ah,  my  Dolores!  my  nina!  "  he  sighed. 

"But  she  is  yours;  you  have  already  won  her; 
while  I—!" 

He  nodded,  in  turn.  "My  Dolores  writes  that 
every  bachelor  of  Chihuahua,  from  the  greatest 


Ho  for  Chihuahua!  267 

haciendados  to  the  youngest  sub-lieutenants,  are  suit 
ors  for  the  hand  of  Senorita  Alisanda.  Yet  take  heart. 
At  the  last  writing,  not  even  Medina  had  won  recog 
nition  from  her." 

"  Medina?  "   I  inquired,  full  of  jealous  inquietude. 

"  Salcedo's  favorite  aide-de-camp,  —  a  braggado 
cio  fellow." 

"  Could  you  not  take  it  upon  yourself  to  hurry  me 
south  at  once?  "  I  urged. 

"  Poder  de  Dios!  I,  a  soldier,  to  march  without 
orders?  But  be  assured.  The  order  will  come  before 
many  weeks.  In  the  meantime  we  should  prepare." 
He  looked  me  over  smilingly.  "  It  will  never  do  for 
you  to  come  before  your  lady  in  this  savage  costume. 
Great  is  my  regret  that  in  this  remote  village  we  can 
not  find  you  garments  after  the  European  mode,  yet 
there  are  worse  attires  than  that  of  a  Spanish  country 
gentleman  —  a  cdballero  rusticano" 

Notwithstanding  my  protests  against  imposing 
upon  his  generosity,  he  insisted  upon  at  once  conduct 
ing  me  to  a  man  qualified  to  tailor  the  Spanish  modes. 
Within  the  next  fortnight  I  was  completely  fitted  out 
a  la  Espanola  from  top  to  toe.  But  although  it  was 
the  first  time  I  had  ever  worn  the  costume,  I  cannot 
say  that  in  the  company  of  similarly  attired  Spaniards 
I  felt  ill  at  ease  in  these  garments.  In  part  at  least 
they  were  well  adapted  to  the  needs  of  this  hot,  arid 
climate,  particularly  the  broad-brimmed  shade-hat,  or 
sombrero.  Silk  stockings  and  Spanish  breeches,  but 
toned  down  the  outer  seams  and  open  below  the  knees, 


268  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

took  the  place  of  my  tattered  pantaloons  and  buffalo 
leggings.  For  belt  I  wore  a  sash  of  scarlet  silk,  with 
ends  dangling  like  a  lady's  drape.  Above  it  was  a 
waistcoat  as  large  as  the  jacket  was  short,  while  the 
circular  cloak  over  all  gave  me  quite  the  air  of  an 
hidalgo.  My  one  difficulty  was  with  the  stiff  jack 
boots  upon  which  jangled  my  barbarously  gaffed 
spurs.  After  months  of  freedom  in  pliant  moccasins, 
my  feet  found  this  hard  confinement  barely  endurable 
even  when  I  was  mounted. 

In  return  for  the  numberless  courtesies  of  Mal- 
gares,  I  was  able  to  make  part  payment  by  practising 
gratis  among  the  people.  It  was,  at  the  same  time,  a 
most  interesting  experience  to  come  into  intimate  con 
tact  with  the  population,  from  the  gachupines,  or 
Spaniards  of  Old  Spain,  and  the  native-born  Span 
iards,  whom  we  call  Creoles,  to  the  far  more  numerous 
mestizos,  or  mixed-bloods,  and  their  half-brothers,  the 
pueblo,  or  tame  Indians. 

One  day  I  had  gone  up  to  see  a  patient  at  Atrisco, 
a  little  village  next  below  Albuquerque.  It  was,  as  I 
remember,  the  seventh  of  March,  exactly  a  month 
after  I  had  left  my  comrades  at  the  stockade  in  the 
valley.  The  Commandant,  at  whose  house  I  was  stay 
ing,  had  borrowed  for  me  a  Spanish  grammar  from 
Father  Ambrosio,  and  I  was  deep  in  the  verbs,  when 
my  host  stepped  into  the  room,  with  a  bow  and  a 
sonorous  introduction:  "  Per  done,  hermano!  Present 
usted  Sefior  el  Capitan  Mun-go-meri-paike,  your 
compatriot." 


Ho  for  Chihuahua  I  269 

I  started  up,  and  found  myself  confronting  — 
Pike! 

He  stared  back  at  me,  half  in  doubt  that  it  could  be 
I,  so  vast  was  the  change  in  my  appearance  and  health. 

"  John!  "   he  exclaimed.     "  It  cannot  be!  " 

"  Yet  it  is,"  I  replied,  aglow  with  delight. 

There  could  be  no  mistaking  him,  if  only  that  he 
still  wore  his  scarlet  fur-lined  cap  and  blanket  cloak, 
—  though  much  of  his  dress  was  new,  and  his  face  pre 
sented  far  other  than  the  ghastly,  emaciated  aspect  it 
had  worn  at  our  parting. 

But  as  I  reached  out  to  clasp  his  hand,  he  suddenly 
recalled  our  agreement  not  to  recognize  one  another, 
and  drew  back  with  feigned  hauteur.  "Who  are 
you,  sir?  I  do  not  know  you." 

"  'T  is  of  no  use,  Montgomery!  "  I  cried.  "  I  can 
not  hide  my  friendship.  I  should  call  out  to  you 
though  they  had  the  garrotte  at  my  neck.  What  is 
more,  the  secret  is  out.  I  have  already  confessed  my 
connection  with  the  expedition  to  Lieutenant  Mal- 
gares,  who,  though  a  Spaniard,  has  proved  himself  a 
true  friend.  I  could  no  longer  endure  the  thought  of 
concealment  from  him.  It  has  not  cost  me  his  friend 
ship;  and  I  am  prepared  to  risk  the  worst  his  supe 
riors  can  inflict  upon  me." 

"No,  no,  John!"  he  protested.  "We  shall  all 
come  through  safely,  and  you  shall  win  your  lady." 

"Ah!  Alisanda!  My  thanks  for  the  good  wish. 
But  you?  "  I  demanded.  "  Are  you  and  the  men  also 
prisoners  in  the  hands  of  that  capricious  Governor? " 


270  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"Prisoners!"  he  repeated,  dropping  his  hand  on 
his  sword-hilt.  "  Does  this  look  like  it?  No!  They 
lured  us  into  Santa  Fe  with  false  promises.  But  my 
men  still  carry  their  guns  and  ammunition.  Let  the 
tyrants  so  much  as  raise  a  ringer  against  us,  and  we 
will  flee  to  their  enemies  the  Apaches,  and  lead  the 
savages  against  their  settlements!  " 

"We  could  do  it!"  I  cried.  "  Yet  first  —  " 
"  First  you  would  go  to  Chihuahua;  and  so  would 
I,"  he  assented,  his  blue  eyes  twinkling.  "  I  made  a 
loud  protest  when  this  over- wise  Governor  said  it  was 
necessary  for  me  to  go  south.  But  we  are  going  as 
*  guests  under  constraint '  —  not  as  prisoners,  please 
note,  John.  The  addle-pated  don  did  not  know 
enough  to  send  us  packing  the  shortest  way  out  of  the 
country,  to  the  Red  River,  —  which,  it  seems,  lies  far 
to  the  eastward,  in  the  Comanche  nation.  No!  he 
must  needs  march  us  down  through  the  heart  of  the 
Northern  Provinces.  Could  we  ask  more?  " 
"  Not  if  Salcedo  sets  you  free." 
"  Sets  me  free?  No  less  yourself,  John!  " 
I  shook  my  head  dubiously.  But  at  the  moment 
there  entered  a  Captain  D'Almansa,  whom  I  had  met 
at  Santa  Fe,  and  who,  I  now  learned,  was  conducting 
down  the  Lieutenant  and  his  men  to  place  them  under 
the  escort  of  Malgares.  When  Pike  explained  to  him 
that  I  had  been  a  member  of  the  expedition,  the  old 
captain  smiled  knowingly.  Few  among  the  Spaniards 
had  doubted  my  connection  with  the  mad  Americanos 
after  the  party  was  brought  in. 


Ho  for  Chihuahua!  271 

We  left  D'Almansa  in  the  house,  seated  over  a 
bottle  of  ardent  spirits  with  my  host,  and  went  out  to 
where  the  six  privates  who  had  come  with  the  Lieuten 
ant  from  the  stockade  were  in  waiting.  I  was  rejoiced 
to  see  that,  though  still  for  the  most  part  clad  in  their 
tatters,  their  rounding  cheeks  showed  the  welcome 
effects  of  Spanish  hospitality,  and  that  the  ones  worst 
frosted  now  hardly  limped  in  their  gait.  Not  one  of 
them  had  been  required  to  walk  a  mile  since  leaving  the 
fort,  horses  having  been  provided  them  from  the  first. 

It  was  no  less  affecting  than  amusing  to  see  the 
manner  in  which,  obedient  to  orders,  they  stared  at  me 
with  an  air  of  stolid  indifference  even  when  I  came 
up  to  them  with  their  Lieutenant.  But  the  moment 
he  had  explained  that  all  was  discovered,  they  crowded 
about  me  with  exclamations  of  joy.  It  was  truly  a 
happy  meeting  for  us  all,  despite  the  uncertainty  of 
what  might  befall  us  in  the  hands  of  the  tyrannical 
Spanish  authorities. 

As  soon  as  I  had  sketched  my  adventures,  Pike,  in 
turn,  told  theirs. 

"  For  several  days  after  you  left,"  he  began,  "  I 
spent  the  time  in  hunting,  reading,  and  exploring  the 
valley  around  the  fort.  But  a  fortnight  ago,  while 
out  with  Brown,  we  fell  in  with  a  dragoon  and  an 
Indian  of  the  militia,  who,  after  telling  us  of  your 
arrival  at  Santa  Fe,  insisted  upon  following  us  to  the 
fort.  In  the  morning,  after  we  had  made  them  a  few 
gifts,  they  started  back  to  Santa  Fe,  from  which  place 
they  had  been  sent  out  to  spy  upon  us." 


272  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"True!"  I  broke  in.  "  Allencaster  must  have  sus 
pected  from  the  first  that  my  party  of  hunters  was  no 
less  than  the  American  expedition.  I  have  learned 
that  Senor  Lisa  sent  word  from  St.  Louis  of  the  ex 
pedition's  plans,  to  the  Spanish  authorities  in  Texas. 
All  the  Northern  Provinces  have  been  on  the  lookout 
for  us  for  months,  and  Malgares  has  told  me  that  the 
real  purpose  of  his  great  expedition  was  either  to 
capture  us  or  to  turn  us  back." 

"  That  I  have  myself  learned,"  replied  Pike. 
"Well,  they  have  us  now.  May  they  have  joy  of 
their  find!  But  to  return.  The  same  day  that  the 
spies  left,  Jackson  and  his  party  came  in  with 
Menaugh.  But  poor  Sparks  and  Dougherty,  alas! 
neither  had  been  able  to  take  a  dozen  steps,  and  the 
others  could  not  bear  them  through  those  deep  drifts." 

"  Good  God!  "  I  cried.  "  They  left  their  comrades 
again,  in  that  terrible  valley,  famished,  crippled, 
sick!  Had  I  but  gone —  !  " 

"  No,  John,  they  are  not  famished,  nor  are  they  sick. 
Jackson  found  them  well  nourished.  The  gangrene 
had  not  spread.  They  will  recover.  You  yourself 
said  they  would  recover  if  the  disease  did  not  spread 
in  this  time.  Jackson  restocked  them  with  meat,  and 
within  three  days  after  his  return  Meek  and  Miller 
volunteered  for  a  second  rescue-party  As  their 
orders  were  to  go  first  for  Baroney  and  Smith  and  the 
horses,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  time  our  poor 
lads  will  be  brought  in." 

"  Then  they  are  not  at  the  fort?  "  I  asked. 


Ho  for  Chihuahua!  273 

"  I  cannot  say.  They  had  not  yet  come  in  when  the 
Spanish  dragoons  came  to  lure  us  away.  But  you 
know  the  obstinacy  and  combativeness  of  Meek.  He 
will  bring  them  in.  Yes,  by  now  they  must  be  over  the 
mountains  and  on  their  way  to  Santa  Fe,  guided  by 
the  Spaniards  left  at  the  fort  for  that  purpose. 
Allencaster  has  promised  to  send  them  after  us  as 
soon  as  they  can  march.  By  the  way,  he  has  compli 
mented  you  with  the  return  of  your  rifle  and  pistols. 
As  I  positively  refused  to  be  disarmed,  the  diplomatic 
supposition  is  that  we  need  our  weapons  to  provide 
against  attacks  of  the  Apaches." 

"  Your  papers?  "  I  inquired,  "  all  those  invaluable 
charts  and  journals? " 

He  gave  me  a  rueful  look.  "  The  enemy  have  them 
trapped  in  my  little  paper  trunk,  most  of  them. 
When  we  first  came  into  Santa  Fe  all  the  more  valu 
able  ones  were  concealed  in  the  clothes  of  these  lads." 
He  shook  his  head  sadly  at  the  six  privates.  "  But  the 
over-hospitable  ladies  plied  them  so  freely  with  wine 
and  ardent  spirits  that  I  feared  some  of  the  papers 
might  be  lost  during  their  tipsy  antics.  So  I  returned 
to  the  trunk  all  except  your  copy  of  my  courses.  Im 
mediately  afterwards  the  trunk  was  seized,  and  is  now 
in  the  charge  of  our  escort." 

"  They  may  be  returned,"  I  argued. 

He  shook  his  head. 

"  You  say  they  lured  you  into  Santa  Fe?  " 

"  Upon  the  report  of  his  spies,  Allencaster  sent  out 
a  force  of  a  hundred  men,  under  pretence  that  the 

18 


274  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Yutah  Indians  were  about  to  attack  us.  They  were 
extremely  courteous,  and  invited  me  to  come  into 
Santa  Fe,  stating  that  the  Governor  wished  to  know 
our  reasons  for  entering  his  territories.  When  I  had 
expressed  our  strategic  supposition  that  we  were  on 
the  Red  River,  and  they  had  explained  that  these  were 
the  waters  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  I  at  once  hauled  down 
our  flag  and  agreed  to  accompany  them. 

"  As  with  yourself,  Allencaster  was  at  first  exceed 
ingly  haughty  to  me.  But  after  I  had  expressed  my 
opinion  of  their  invasion  of  our  territories,  and  stated 
that  I  had  come  in  merely  to  be  directed  how  to  find 
the  Red  River,  that  my  party  might  follow  it  down  to 
Natchitoches,  he  mellowed  exceedingly.  I  believe  the 
old  fox  thought  he  was  playing  me  a  sly  trick  in  thus 
sending  us  south  through  the  heart  of  his  country." 

"He  will  be  hoist  by  his  own  petard!"  I  cried. 
"  Papers  or  no  papers,  Salcedo  is  bound  to  free  you  at 
least,  and  you  have  a  fine  memory.  My  fate  will  not 
affect  the  splendid  advantages  which  will  accrue  to 
our  country  from  this  blunder  of  the  dons." 

"  Your  fate?  "  he  demanded. 

"  I  am  now  a  spy  confessed.  But  enough  of  that 
when  we  reach  Chihuahua !  Until  then  we  shall  have 
no  cause  for  complaint.  We  go  under  the  escort  of 
Malgares,  than  whom  there  is  no  truer  gentleman 
under  the  sky." 

Pike  shook  his  head  doubtfully. 

But  the  next  day  I  had  the  great  pleasure  of 
introducing  him  to  Malgares,  who  promptly  talked 


Ho  for  Chihuahua!  275 

himself  into  the  Lieutenant's  good  graces,  and  enter 
tained  us  that  evening  by  ordering  a  fandango  to  be 
danced  in  our  honor  by  the  prettiest  girls  of  the 
vicinity. 

Of  our  southward  journey,  which  we  began  on  the 
ninth  of  March,  I  will  mention  only  that  the  first 
stage  alone  carried  us  some  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  down  the  valley  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  to  El 
Paso.  The  most  prominent  features  of  this  trip  were 
a  notorious  arid  desert  called  the  Jornada  del  Muerto, 
or  Journey  of  the  Dead  Man,  which  we  avoided  by  a 
long  detour,  and  two  ranges  of  mountains  to  the  east 
ward  of  the  river,  —  the  glittering,  snow-clad  Sierra 
Blanca  and  the  Sierra  de  los  Organos,  —  in  whose 
fastnesses  lurk  the  murderous  Apaches,  said  by  Span 
iards  to  be  the  most  terrible  of  all  Indians. 

The  second  day  south  of  El  Paso  we  had  to  toil 
across  a  region  of  shifting  sand  hills  similar  to  those 
at  the  west  end  of  our  pass  through  the  Sangre  de 
Cristo.  The  stop  that  evening  was  made  at  the  Pre 
sidio  of  Carrazal,  where,  for  the  first  time  since  our 
meetings  with  Governor  Allencaster,  we  were  received 
without  the  effusive  hospitality  to  which  we  had  be 
come  accustomed.  When  Malgares  introduced  us  to 
the  Commandant,  the  latter  bowed  with  utmost  cool 
ness,  and  muttered  in  Spanish  an  ungracious  statement 
to  the  effect  that  Malgares  was  welcome  to  his  quar 
ters,  but  that  los  hereticos  could  lodge  themselves,  to 
gether  with  their  privates  of  infantry,  in  the  common 
hovel  provided  for  travellers. 


276  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Malgares  bowed  his  grandest.  "  Per 'done ',  sefior!  " 
he  replied.  "  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  trouble  your 
hospitality.  What  is  good  enough  for  my  friends  is 
good  enough  for  me." 

Such  was  Malgares's  stateliness  of  manner  that  the 
Commandant,  although  his  superior  officer,  was  bow 
ing  in  most  apologetic  fashion  before  our  friend  had 
ceased  speaking. 

"  Perdone,  hermano!  "  he  murmured.  "  I  erred 
most  deplorably  in  imagining  that  los  senores  Ameri 
canos  came  as  persons  under  constraint.  Con  permiso, 
I  hasten  to  rectify  my  error  by  urging  them  to  honor 
my  humble  abode  with  their  presence." 

"  I  fear  that  the  Senor  Commandant  will  have  to 
excuse  los  Americanos"  I  said. 

"  The  sky  is  ever  a  welcome  roof  to  us,"  added  Pike, 
no  less  offended  than  myself. 

"  But  that  is  impossible,  senores!  "  urged  the  Com 
mandant,  with  growing  concern.  He  turned  appeal- 
ingly  to  Malgares  — "  Pray  persuade  them,  Don 
Faciendo !  Should  they  refuse  my  hospitality  I  could 
never  forgive  myself!  " 

"  From  the  first  our  countrymen  have  given  them 
the  warmest  of  welcomes,"  remarked  Malgares,  his 
chin  still  high. 

"Por  Dios!  Do  I  deny  it?  Yet  consider,  I  have 
but  now  received  the  gazette  from  the  City  of 
Mexico." 

"The  gazette?"   inquired  Malgares,  unbending. 

"  With  the  account  of  the  terrible  Colonel  Burr." 


Ho  for  Chihuahua!  277 

"  Senor,  we  will  be  pleased  to  accept  your  hospital 
ity,"  said  Pike. 

Immediately  there  was  a  general  exchange  of  ami 
cable  bows,  and  the  Commandant  conducted  us  to  his 
quarters.  I  could  see  that  Malgares  was  hardly  less 
eager  than  Pike  and  myself  to  hear  the  news  about 
Burr.  But  diplomacy,  no  less  than  etiquette,  com 
pelled  us  to  repress  our  burning  curiosity  until  our 
host  had  exemplified  his  hospitality  with  a  light  even 
ing  meal.  As  we  rose  from  the  table,  he  remarked  that 
we  might  better  enjoy  our  cigarros  under  the  star 
light,  on  the  azotea. 

"  Per done ,  amigo"  replied!  Malgares,  suavely. 
"  You  spoke  of  the  gazette.  I  would  hardly  venture 
to  say  how  old  was  the  last  gazette  which  I  saw  at 
Santa  Fe." 

"Con  permiso,  senores,"  said  the  Commandant, 
bowing  to  Pike  and  myself. 

At  his  command  the  attendant  fetched  the  gazette, 
which  he  took  into  his  own  hands  and  tendered  to  us, 
with  a  polite  bow.  When  we  shook  our  heads  over  the 
Spanish  text,  he  waved  us  back  to  our  seats,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  translate  into  French  a  most  extraordinary 
mess  of  wild  and  contradictory  rumors  regarding 
Aaron  Burr. 

The  redoubtable  Colonel  had  descended  the  Ohio 
with  an  immense  army;  he  had  invaded  the  Province 
of  Texas;  he  was  marching  upon  Santa  Fe;  he  had 
captured  New  Orleans;  he  was  operating  against 
Pensacola,  with  a  view  to  the  conquest  of  the  Floridas; 


278          A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

he  had  joined  forces  with  the  British  fleet  and  had 
sailed  to  invest  Vera  Cruz ;  he  was  fighting  the  East 
ern  Americanos;  no!  the  atheist  Jacobin  Jefferson 
had  sent  a  second  army  to  help  him  to  conquer  New 
Spain.  Only  the  firm  stand  of  the  honest  and  most 
upright  Americano  Commander-in- Chief,  General 
Wilkinson,  had  prevented  los  hereticos  from  breaking 
their  sacred  pledge  by  crossing  the  Sabine  River  into 
the  disputed  territory.  Risking  the  anger  of  the 
hypocritical  Jefferson,  the  brave  Wilkinson  had  met 
the  treacherous  and  ferocious  Burr  in  a  terrific  battle ; 
had  defeated  the  desperadoes  and  either  slain  or  cap 
tured  the  would-be  conqueror  of  the  domains  of  His 
Most  Catholic  Majesty,  King  Ferdinand. 

So  the  account  ran  —  a  bushel  of  chaff  heaped 
about  a  few  scant  grains  of  fact.  Yet  even  out  of 
these  garbled  and  fantastic  details  of  an  evidently 
panic-stricken  Spanish  scribe,  we  could  extract  at 
least  an  inkling  of  the  truth.  There  could  be  no  doubt 
that  Colonel  Burr  had  actually  embarked  upon  one  or 
more  of  his  venturesome  enterprises,  and  that  there 
had  ensued  more  or  less  public  agitation,  if  not  an 
armed  conflict. 

To  my  wider  knowledge  of  the  Colonel's  schemes 
many  things  were  clear  which  puzzled  and  bewildered 
my  friend,  and  I  was  not  altogether  surprised  to  see 
by  Malgares's  look  that  he  understood  the  situation 
nearly  as  well  as  myself.  When,  however,  at  the  first 
opportunity,  I  sought  to  obtain  an  intimation  that  he 
had  been  a  sharer  in  the  Mexican  end  of  the  great  pro- 


Ho  for  Chihuahua  !  279 

ject,  he  avoided  the  inquiry  with  his  usual  tactful 
reserve. 

For  my  own  part,  I  concluded  that  my  worst  sus 
picions  regarding  the  treasonable  intentions  of 
Colonel  Burr  were  all  too  true.  Evidently  relying 
upon  Wilkinson  to  force  hostilities  on  the  Texas 
border,  he  had  planned  to  sweep  down  the  Ohio  and 
the  Mississippi,  with  the  rallying  cry  of  "  War  with 
Spain!  "  to  bring  the  frontiersmen  flocking  after  him 
in  a  vast  army.  With  all  the  loyal-hearted  marching 
to  the  conquest  of  Mexico  under  Wilkinson  and  Jack 
son,  it  would  then  have  been  a  simple  matter  to  seize 
New  Orleans,  declare  a  separation  of  the  West  from 
the  East,  and  appeal  to  the  States  and  Territories 
west  of  the  Alleghanies  to  join  in  creating  an  empire 
which  should  extend  westward  to  the  far  distant 
Pacific  and  south  to  remote  Panama. 

That  the  West  was,  and  for  years  had  been,  far  too 
loyal  to  listen  to  the  traitorous  proposal,  was  not  the 
question.  The  point  was,  that,  had  Wilkinson  sup 
ported  the  arch-plotter  so  far  as  the  seizure  of  New  Or 
leans,  the  result  would  have  been  a  bloody  internecine 
war  among  our  people,  with  France  and  England  alike 
gloating  upon  our  dissensions,  and  waiting,  eager- 
fingered,  to  tear  us  asunder  at  the  first  opportunity. 

So  it  was  that,  taking  matters  at  their  face  value  in 
so  far  as  I  could  conjecture  the  facts,  I  gladly  gave 
General  Wilkinson  credit  for  the  part  he  seemed  to 
have  played  in  checkmating  the  alleged  invasion  of 
the  lower  Mississippi  by  Burr. 


280  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

The  manner  in  which  our  host  watched  our  faces  as 
he  read  the  gazette  to  us,  explained  the  discourtesy  of 
his  first  greeting.  It  was  evident  that  he  regarded  our 
expedition  as  a  reconnoitring  party  sent  out  by  the 
hated  Americanos  to  explore  a  road  for  the  expected 
army  of  invasion. 

For  my  part,  I  firmly  believe  it  was  in  fact  so  in 
tended  by  General  Wilkinson,  who  had  been  known 
to  boast  that  he  could  take  all  New  Mexico  in  a  single 
campaign.  But  whether  or  not  he  had  intended  to 
use  our  discoveries  to  further  the  treasonable  projects 
of  Burr,  I  will  leave  to  the  verdict  of  History.  At  the 
time,  it  was  enough  for  me  that  he  had  not  joined 
forces  with  Burr,  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  would  seem 
had  averted  the  possibility  of  the  dashing  Colonel's 
capture  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

GLIMPSES    OF   FATE 

THE  day  before  our  arrival  at  Chihuahua,  when 
Lieutenant  Malgares  despatched  ahead  a  cour 
ier  with  letters  to  his  wife's  father  and  General  Sal- 
cedo,  I  was  suddenly  struck  with  the  fact  that  this 
First  of  April,  like  that  other  Day  of  All  Fools  out  of 
Philadelphia,  was  bringing  me  to  the  senorita  high  in 
hopes  yet  none  the  less  uncertain.  Then  I  had  chilled 
with  the  dread  that  my  journey's  end  would  find  her 
dear  presence  vanished  beyond  my  reach;  now  I  suf 
fered  the  far  more  poignant  fear  that  I  might  find  her 
heart  lost  to  another. 

With  such  a  thought  lying  like  a  torpid  snake  upon 
my  breast,  it  is  not  strange  that  I  slept  ill  that  night. 
But  I  was  astir  in  the  morning  no  earlier  than  Mal 
gares,  who  betrayed  the  liveliest  apprehension  over 
his  coming  interview  with  the  Commandant- General. 
It  was  the  first  time  that  he  had  been  permitted  to 
come  south  to  the  seat  of  government  since  leaving  it 
for  his  daring  expedition  into  our  territories,  nearly  a 
year  past.  Pike  and  I  were  astonished  to  find  that  he 
was  not  beaming  with  expectation  of  the  rewards  his 
gallant  exploit  deserved.  Instead  he  rode  along  be- 


282  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

tween  us  in  silence,  his  fine  Castilian  face  creased  with 
lines  of  anxiety,  almost  of  dread. 

We  were  now  passing  over  the  last  few  miles  of  the 
vast  mountain-encircled  plain  which  surrounds  the 
city  of  Chihuahua  and  upon  which,  as  well  as  similar 
vast  ranges  in  this  Province  of  Nuevo  Viscaya,  los 
haciendados  pasture  herds  of  thousands  and  tens  of 
thousands  of  cattle.  Only  in  the  most  favored  spots 
was  the  dreary  landscape  broken  by  trees,  most  of 
them  the  acacia-like  mesquite,  which  here  grows  to  a 
height  of  thirty  or  forty  feet.  There  was  little  cultiva 
tion  of  the  soil  in  this  region,  whose  inhabitants  de 
pend  upon  cattle  and  the  rich  silver  mines  for  their 
subsistence.  A  far  from  pleasant  proof  of  this  fact 
was  to  be  seen  in  the  great  number  of  smoking  ore 
furnaces  and  the  enormous  extent  of  the  cinder  heaps 
all  about  the  city. 

From  the  time  we  swung  into  our  high-pommelled 
high-cantled  saddles,  my  gaze  was  fixed  through  the 
smoke  haze  of  the  furnaces  upon  the  lofty  towers  of 
the  Parroquia  —  the  magnificent  parish  church  of 
Chihuahua  —  and  the  older  and  lower  structure  of  the 
Jesuit  Church  of  the  Campania.  Noticing  my  in- 
tentness,  even  in  his  distraction,  Malgares  courteously 
told  the  story  of  how  the  Parroquia  had  been  paid  for 
by  a  contribution  from  the  silver  produced  by  the 
great  Santa  Eulalia  mine,  in  all  something  over  a 
million  dollars,  estimated  in  our  money. 

Aside  from  the  Parroquia  and  a  few  other  imposing 
stone  edifices,  such  as  the  royal  treasury,  the  hospital, 


Glimpses  of  Fate  283 

the  military  academy,  and  the  three  or  four  lesser 
churches,  the  city  of  Chihuahua  proved  to  be  interest 
ing  but  not  magnificent.  A  few  of  the  private  build 
ings  were  of  stone  and  of  more  than  one  story,  but  the 
greater  part  of  the  city  was  built  of  the  ubiquitous 
unbaked  mud  brick. 

Passing  within  sight  of  the  huge  arches  of  the  great 
aqueduct,  or  waterway,  which  bends  around  from  the 
south  to  the  east  side  of  the  city,  we  at  last  found  our 
selves  in  the  neat,  close  outskirts  of  Chihuahua.  Our 
course  carried  us  toward  the  plaza  through  the  better 
streets,  and  it  was  evident  from  the  number  of  ladies 
who  crowded  out  into  their  balconies  to  see  us  pass 
that  the  news  of  our  coming  had  been  announced. 

That  Malgares  was  well  and  favorably  known 
among  these  bright-eyed  senoras  and  senoritas  soon 
became  apparent  as  we  swept  along  at  the  head  of 
our  clattering,  swashbuckling  dragoons.  Fans  were 
waved,  rebozas  and  mantillas  fluttered,  and  greetings 
called.  Despite  the  anxiety  which  damped  his  spirit, 
our  companion  responded  with  the  most  gallant  of 
bows  and  compliments. 

In  the  midst,  a  gay  young  senorita,  more  daring 
than  her  sisters,  cried  out:  "  Viva,  los  Americanos!  " 

Our  response,  I  trust,  was  as  gallant  in  spirit  if  not 
in  effect  as  the  bows  of  Malgares.  I  qualify  because 
Pike  had  to  endure  the  mortification  of  riding  beneath 
the  gaze  of  all  those  sparkling  eyes  in  a  costume  better 
fitting  a  backwoods  farmer  than  a  military  gentle 
man.  He  was  still  in  his  scarlet  cap  and  blanket  cloak. 


284  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Yet,  encouraged  by  our  acknowledgment  of  the  first 
greeting,  others  of  the  ladies  caught  up  the  cry,  until 
we  found  ourselves  being  welcomed  no  less  warmly 
and  frequently  than  Malgares  himself. 

This  should  have  been  fair  enough  augury  to  reas 
sure  the  most  despondent  of  travellers.  But  as  we 
jingled  past  house  after  house,  I  found  myself,  be 
tween  bows,  scanning  the  gay  groups  on  the  balconies 
with  a  sinking  heart.  We  were  nearing  the  plaza. 
I  could  see  the  trees  between  the  blank,  bare  walls  of 
the  dwellings  which  flanked  the  narrow  street.  In  a 
little  more  we  should  pass  the  last  of  the  balconies,  — 
and  I  had  seen  no  sign  of  my  lady. 

We  neared  the  last  balcony.  Upon  it  were  only 
three  ladies,  one  of  whom  held  back  behind  the  others, 
so  much  of  her  head  and  shoulders  as  showed  being 
muffled  in  a  silk  reboza,  the  Mexican  head-drape  or 
shawl.  The  other  two  leaned  eagerly  forward  over 
the  balustrade,  and  the  younger,  a  plump  beauty  with 
the  blackest  and  most  brilliant  of  eyes,  flashed  at  Mal 
gares  a  look  that  told  me  she  was  his  wife,  even  before 
he  called  to  her  in  terms  of  extravagant  endearment. 
Unlike  so  many  of  the  Spanish  marriages,  his  had 
been  a  love  match. 

The  senora  and  her  yet  plumper  companion  at  the 
rail  called  down  a  welcome  to  los  Americanos.  Pike 
and  I  swept  off  our  hats  and  bowed  our  handsomest. 
I  straightened  and  looked  up.  Malgares  had  not 
checked  his  horse  for  an  instant,  so  that  we  were  now 
opposite  the  balcony,  and  I,  being  on  the  right,  was 


Glimpses  of  Fate  285 

almost  directly  beneath  it.  My  heart  gave  a  great 
leap.  Smiling  down  upon  me,  over  the  rail,  I  saw  the 
lovely  face  of  my  lady.  I  started  to  cry  out  her  name : 
"Al— " 

But  already  her  finger  was  on  her  scarlet  lips.  I 
checked  myself  so  quickly  that  my  exclamation 
sounded  more  like  an  "  Ah!  " 

My  lady  let  fall  her  reboza  over  her  face  and  drew 
back  out  of  view.  When  at  last  I  gave  over  craning 
my  head  about,  Malgares  met  me  with  a  smile.  "  So 
you  have  discovered  her  already,  Don  Juan!"  he 
remarked  in  French. 

"  My  senorita!  "  I  murmured.  "  She  is  the  love 
liest  lady  in  the  world! " 

"  The  most  beautiful  —  that  is  true,  but  I  cannot 
admit  that  she  is  the  loveliest,"  he  returned,  with  the 
loyalty  of  a  true  gentleman. 

"  I  trust  soon  to  repeat  that  last  to  your  senora! " 
I  exclaimed.  "  She  was  the  one  to  whom  you  called." 

He  bowed  in  confirmation  of  my  surmise.  "It  is 
the  house  of  Senor  Vallois.  That  other  was  Senora 
Marguerite  Vallois,  his  wife.  The  house  of  my  wife's 
father  is  on  the  cross-street.  She  came  to  the  house 
of  her  friends  to  see  me  pass,  for  she  knew  I  could  not 
turn  out  of  my  direct  way  to  the  palacio." 

"What!  Not  a  few  moments  to  greet  your  lady 
after  an  absence  of  almost  a  year?  "  I  cried. 

"  This  is  not  a  free  republic  as  is  your  country. 
Our  ruler  — "  He  checked  himself,  and  looked 
from  me  to  Pike  with  an  anxious  glance.  "  Friends, 


286  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

I  have  not  darkened  your  journey  with  sombre  antici 
pations.  But  now  is  the  time  for  warning.  Do  not  be 
surprised  if  a  few  hours  hence  you  find  yourselves  in 
the  calabozo" 

"No!"  said  Pike,  without  raising  his  voice,  but 
speaking  in  a  tone  of  indomitable  resolution.  "  Your 
people  may  kill  us,  Don  Faciendo,  but  they  shall 
neither  disarm  nor  imprison  us  so  long  as  there  is 
breath  left  in  our  bodies.  My  men  have  their  orders." 

Malgares  shook  his  head  sadly.  "  You  free-born 
Americanos!  You  do  not  yet  know  what  it  means  to 
stand  before  a  despot!"  He  glanced  back  over  his 
shoulder  as  if  fearful  of  being  overheard.  The  nearest 
of  the  escort  was  beyond  earshot.  He  drew  in  a  deep 
breath,  and  murmured  bitterly:  "You  see  what  it 
means.  I  am  not  accounted  a  coward,  yet  I  turn  cold 
at  the  very  thought  of  the  man  who  can  dishonor  me." 

"  Dishonor!  "   I  repeated. 

"  Death  is  a  little  thing!  But  who  does  not  fear  a 
life  —  or  death  —  of  disgrace?  " 

Our  looks  assured  him  of  our  sympathy.  We  came 
into  the  alamo.,  or  shaded  ride,  through  the  plaza.  He 
pointed  across  at  the  fort-like  mass  of  the  Governor's 
residence.  "  There  lies  the  fate  of  all  the  Northern 
Provinces,  from  the  borders  of  Louisiana  Territory  to 
the  Pacific,  in  the  grasp  of  one  man!  " 

"  You  have  an  appeal  to  His  Catholic  Majesty," 
remarked  Pike. 

Malgares  shrugged  his  shoulders  in  the  manner  of 
a  Frenchman,  a  gesture  of  which  we  would  have  con- 


Glimpses  of  Fate  287 

sidered  his  haughty  pride  incapable.  "  It  is  a  long 
journey  to  Old  Spain  to  one  who  would  oppose  the 
Commandant- General,  and  a  far  longer  journey 
through  the  Court  to  the  Hall  of  Justice.  No, 
amigos.  Be  advised.  Discretion  is  sometimes  the 
better  part  of  valor.  Diplomacy  wins  many  victories 
beyond  reach  of  the  sword." 

'  You  have  our  thanks,  Don  Faciendo,"  replied  my 
friend,  soberly.  "  I  shall  not  forget  that  I  am  here  as 
an  officer  of  the  Army  of  the  Republic.  My  first  and 
only  concern  is  the  interests  of  my  country,  and  I  will 
use  all  means  to  conserve  those  interests." 

We  were  by  now  approaching  the  great  arched 
gateway  which  gaped  in  the  centre  of  the  palacio's 
stuccoed  fapade.  The  guard  turned  out  with  a  smart 
ness  which  I  could  see  impressed  Pike  not  a  little. 
There  was  a  moment's  halt,  and  then  we  all  clattered 
through  the  tunnel-like  archway  into  the  brick-paved 
court  enclosed  by  the  building. 

This  was  not  the  first  patio  we  had  entered,  but  it 
was  by  far  the  largest.  Here  and  there  the  court  was 
ornamented  with  small  trees  and  potted  shrubs,  some 
already  in  flower.  A  line  of  them  screened  off  in  the 
rear  the  view  of  the  kitchens  and  stables.  All  around 
this  court  ran  the  arched  entrances  of  the  building's 
inner  tiers  of  rooms,  the  gallery  of  the  upper  story 
being  reached  with  outside  stairways  in  opposite 
corners. 

As  the  audience  chamber  was  on  the  lower  floor,  we 
were  ushered  with  Malgares  into  the  hall  of  the 


288  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

guards  by  one  of  the  aides-de-camp,  a  heavy-set, 
dark-browed  Andalusian  whom  Malgares  introduced 
as  Lieutenant  Don  Jesus  Maria  de  Gonzales  y 
Medina.  Our  six  privates  were  left  outside  in  the  care 
of  the  dragoons  of  the  escort,  with  whom  they  had 
long  since  come  to  the  best  of  terms. 

Word  had  at  once  been  taken  in  to  the  Captain- 
General  that  we  were  awaiting  his  pleasure.  Pres 
ently  an  aide  appeared  and  bowed  to  Malgares.  This 
left  Pike  and  me  seated  alone  on  a  stone  bench,  under 
the  eyes  of  the  guard  and  of  a  rabble  of  house  and 
stable  servants,  who  had  pressed  in  to  gape  at  those 
strange  creatures,  los  Anglo- Americanos.  It  was  no 
easy  test  for  my  temper  to  bear,  nor,  I  judge,  for 
Pike's.  Added  to  this,  we  were  by  now  fairly  on 
needles  and  pins  as  to  the  manner  in  which  this  des 
potic  ruler  should  choose  to  receive  us. 

Lieutenant  Medina  had  withdrawn.  In  his  place 
appeared  a  ferret-eyed  little  Frenchman,  who  snuffled 
complaints  of  how  he  had  been  abused  in  this  vile  land, 
and  sought  to  draw  from  us  expressions  of  opinion  re 
garding  the  Spanish  Government.  Suspecting  him 
to  be  a  spy,  Pike  pointed  to  the  outer  door,  and  gave 
him  his  conge  in  Spanish :  ff  Vaya,  carrejo! " 

The  scoundrel  went,  followed  by  a  muffled  yet  none 
the  less  hearty  laugh  over  his  discomfiture  from  the 
rough,  honest  soldiers.  After  a  time  Medina  returned 
with  a  sandy,  pale-eyed  but  well-built  young  officer 
whom  he  introduced  as  Alferez  Don  Juan  Pedro 
Walker.  The  newcomer  hastened  to  explain,  in  Eng- 


Glimpses  of  Fate  289 

lish,  that  he  was  the  same  John  Peter  Walker  of  New 
Orleans  who  in  1798  aided  Mr.  Ellicott  in  surveying 
the  Florida  line. 

At  this  moment  Malgares  appeared  in  the  doorway 
of  the  audience  chamber,  and  requested  Pike  to  enter. 
I  started  to  follow,  but  he  waved  me  back,  with  an 
anxious  frown.  This  boded  ill  for  us.  To  conceal  my 
concern,  I  expressed  to  Walker  my  surprise  that  an 
American  should  have  entered  the  service  of  Spain. 
He  answered  quickly  that  he  was  not  my  country 
man,  since  his  father  was  English  and  his  mother 
French,  and  he  had  been  born  and  reared  in  New 
Orleans  under  Spanish  rule. 

While  he  was  explaining  this,  in  rather  an  apolo 
getic  tone,  Medina  was  called  away.  There  followed 
a  summons  to  Walker  to  attend  upon  the  Governor- 
General,  and  I  found  myself  left  quite  alone  in  the 
midst  of  the  gaping,  muttering  rabble.  This  was  no 
throng  of  simple,  hospitable  rustics  such  as  I  had  met 
and  liked  in  the  North  Province;  but  a  stable  and 
kitchen  mob,  the  low  scullions  and  hostlers  and  lackeys 
of  a  great  man,  puffed  with  reflected  pride  and  saucy 
with  second-hand  arrogance. 

Soon  I  began  to  overhear  jeers  and  scurrilous  flings, 
of  which  the  word  "  spy  "  was  the  least  galling.  Before 
long  all  my  apprehensions  as  to  the  Governor-General 
were  drowned  in  the  swelling  tide  of  my  indignation 
and  anger.  It  was  unendurable  to  sit  for  what  seemed 
an  endless  time  before  the  insolent  leers  and  coarse 
raillery  of  this  scum.  The  soldiers  looked  on,  without 

19 


290  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

attempting  either  to  join  in  their  scoffs  or  to  silence 
them. 

At  last,  when  I  was  about  to  seize  the  foremost  two 
of  the  rascals  by  the  scruff  of  the  neck  and  crack  their 
heads  together,  the  aide-de-camp  Medina  sauntered 
back  from  out  in  the  court.  I  cried  to  him  sharply  in 
Spanish:  "  Sefior  lieutenant!  do  you  not  know 
whether  it  is  time  to  take  me  in?  " 

Such  at  least  was  what  I  intended  to  say.  But,  in 
my  heat,  I  must  have  slipped  on  my  Spanish  verb. 
The  aide,  mistaking  me  to  mean  that  I  had  been  sum 
moned  before  the  Governor- General,  immediately 
ushered  me  into  the  audience  chamber. 

My  first  glance  gave  me  a  general  impression  of  a 
large  apartment,  severe  in  its  furnishings ;  the  second 
took  in  a  table  at  which  sat  Pike  and  Walker  and  two 
or  three  others,  all  engaged  in  sorting  books  and 
papers  which  I  ruefully  recognized  as  the  charts  and 
journals  of  our  expedition. 

The  sight  of  Malgares,  staring  at  me  in  open  con 
sternation,  caused  me  to  fix  my  gaze  upon  the  gray- 
headed,  irascible  little  man  at  the  head  of  the  table. 
We  had  expected  a  great  show  of  regalia  and  the  other 
trumpery  of  court  display  about  the  Commandant- 
General.  Of  this  there  was  no  sign  to  be  seen  any 
where  in  the  room.  Yet  the  bearing  of  the  man  at 
the  head  of  the  table  and  the  attitude  of  all  others 
present  in  facing  him,  told  me  that  this  was  none 
less  than  His  Excellency,  Don  Nimesio  Salcedo, 
the  despotic  ruler  of  provinces  greater  in  total  extent 


Glimpses  of  Fate  291 

than  the  United  States  and  all  their  possessions  other 
than  Louisiana  Territory.  Yet  by  now  I  was  so 
goaded  to  indignant  anger  that  I  held  my  head  high 
and  met  his  stern  glance  with  the  curtest  of  bows. 

"  Caramba! "  he  swore,  turning  to  Malgares. 
"  Whom  have  we  here?  " 

"  Senor  Juan  Robinson,  Your  Excellency,"  ex 
plained  Malgares  —  "  that  most  excellent  physician 
of  whom  I  spoke,  the  surgeon  attached  to  the  expe 
dition  of  Lieutenant  Don  Montgomery  Pike." 

It  was  only  a  fair  example  of  Malgares's  noble 
courtesy  and  friendliness  to  seek  thus  to  mollify  in 
my  favor  the  man  whose  single  word  could  send  me 
to  the  garrotte  as  a  spy.  I  thanked  him  with  a  look. 

Salcedo  flashed  a  fiery  glance  at  the  luckless  Me 
dina.  "Why  do  you  bring  him  in  —  imbecil?  Let 
him  retire." 

I  turned  on  my  heel,  too  heated  now  to  care,  what 
ever  the  tyrant  might  have  in  mind  to  do.  But  the  mo 
ment  the  door  closed  behind  me,  I  found  Lieutenant 
Medina  at  my  elbow,  and  he  was  as  angry  as  myself. 

"  Satanas!  "  he  hissed,  his  little  beady  eyes  snap 
ping  with  fury.  "  I  have  lost  standing  with  His  Ex 
cellency  by  this  frightful  blunder.  Explain!  You 
told  me  I  was  to  conduct  you  in!  Explain!  " 

ff  Na-da! "  I  drawled.    "  I  did  not  tell  you." 

"You  said  it!"  he  insisted. 

I  gave  him  the  Spanish  equivalent  for  our  adage 
not  to  cry  over  spilt  milk,  adding  that  I  preferred  his 
room  to  his  company.  At  this  he  went  off  fairly  boil- 


292  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

ing  with  rage,  fearful,  I  take  it,  that  if  he  stayed  he 
would  explode,  and  so  draw  upon  himself  the  wrath  of 
his  lord  and  master.  As  by  this  time  the  rabble  had 
dispersed,  I  was  left  to  my  own  bitter  reflections. 

Surely  if  Salcedo  had  not  scrupled  to  seize  the 
records  of  the  expedition,  he  would  not  scruple  to 
treat  me  as  an  outright  spy.  The  best  I  could  forecast 
from  that  meant  an  indefinite  confinement  in  the  terri 
ble  Spanish  calabozo,  compared  with  which  the  worst 
of  our  filthy  flea-and-f ever-infested  seaboard  gaols  is  a 
palace  of  comfort.  Yet  the  thought  of  Alisanda 
spurred  me  to  wild  resolve.  Let  them  fling  me  into 
their  dungeons.  I  would  break  through  their  bars 
and  stone  walls.  I  had  not  crossed  the  Barrier  to  be 
daunted  now.  Nothing  should  keep  me  from  her! 

In  the  midst  of  my  angry  scheming,  the  door 
opened  to  permit  the  exit  of  Walker,  Pike,  and  Mal- 
gares.  Walker  bowed,  and  addressed  me  in  French, 
out  of  courtesy  to  Malgares :  "  If  you  please,  Dr. 
Robinson,  the  General  has  expressed  his  wish  that 
yourself  and  Lieutenant  Pike  should  honor  me  by 
becoming  my  guests  while  you  are  in  Chihuahua.  We 
go  now  to  permit  yourself  and  Lieutenant  Pike  to 
arrange  your  dress  before  returning  to  dine  with  His 
Excellency." 

This  was  decidedly  different  from  being  invited  to 
descend  into  a  dungeon.  I  bowed  my  acknowledg 
ments. 

Malgares  held  out  a  hearty  hand  to  Pike  and 
myself. 


Glimpses  of  Fate  293 

"God  with  you!"  he  exclaimed.  "Pardon  my 
haste.  But  I  will  see  you  again  at  dinner.  Now  I 
fly  to  my  Dolores!  " 

(f  Vaya  usted  con  Dios! "  we  replied,  waving  him 
not  to  linger. 

It  would  have  been  cruel  to  delay  his  departure  an 
instant,  seeing  that  he  had  been  separated  from  his 
senora  for  the  greater  part  of  a  year.  I  saw  Pike 
heave  a  sigh,  and  knew  he  was  thinking  of  the  be 
loved  wife  and  children  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  so 
many  months,  and  might  not  see  for  many  other 
weary  months  to  come,  possibly  never. 

My  own  thoughts,  however,  turned  back  to  Ali- 
sanda.  As  Walker  conducted  us  across  the  plaza  to 
the  house  where,  in  company  with  other  young  bach 
elor  officers,  he  had  his  quarters,  a  question  or  two 
set  him  to  gossiping  upon  the  ladies,  and,  inevitably, 
to  singing  the  praises  of  Senorita  Vallois.  That  was 
music  to  which  I  could  have  listened  unwearying  for 
hours. 

But  time  pressed.  Walker  insisted  upon  loaning 
both  of  us  neckcloths,  and  Pike  various  other  articles 
of  dress  suitable  to  the  occasion.  He  would  have  been 
as  insistent  upon  sharing  his  wardrobe  with  myself 
had  not  my  size  prevented.  I  had  to  content  myself 
with  the  neckcloth  and  a  pair  of  silk  stockings  which 
I  had  in  my  saddlebags.  In  our  prinking  we  enjoyed 
the  officious  services  of  Walker's  quaint  old  negro  ser 
vant  Cassar,  who  had  been  taken  in  Texas  with  other 
members  of  Captain  Nolan's  party,  and  was  said  by 


294  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Walker  to  be  the  only  man  of  his  race  in  all  this 
region. 

Washed  and  dressed,  we  returned  to  the  palacio  still 
escorted  by  Walker,  who  had  seen  to  it  that  we  should 
not  for  an  instant  find  opportunity  to  speak  a  word  in 
private.  Arriving  at  our  destination,  we  found  Mal- 
gares  there  before  us,  his  fine  eyes  still  beaming  from 
the  meeting  with  his  loving  senora. 

This  time  we  were  shown  in  without  delay  to  the 
sola,  or  salon,  where  Salcedo  received  us  with  a  formal 
bow,  and  then  directed  his  attentions  to  Pike  and  Mal- 
gares  with  an  urbanity  which  belied  the  gash-like 
crease  between  his  shaggy  gray  brows.  I  was  intro 
duced  to  Sefior  Trujillo,  the  treasurer,  who,  however, 
paired  off  with  Walker.  This  left  me  to  go  into  table 
with  the  portly  padre  Father  Hocus,  who  was  the  only 
other  member  of  the  party.  Our  seats  proved  to  be 
at  the  far  end  of  the  longish  board,  and  as  the  padre 
at  once  contrived  to  divert  and  hold  my  attention,  I 
heard  and  saw  little  of  what  took  place  among  the 
others. 

Unlike  the  native-born  priests  I  had  met  in  the 
north,  Father  Rocus  was  a  man  of  profound  learning 
and  ability.  Without  allowing  the  conversation  to  in 
terfere  in  the  least  with  his  enjoyment  of  our  elegant 
French-cooked  repast  and  the  very  superior  wines,  he 
quickly  sounded  the  none  too  profound  depths  of  my 
learning  in  the  sciences.  He  then  touched  adroitly 
upon  politics  and  religion.  The  thought  flashed  upon 
me  that  he  was  seeking  to  lead  me  into  some  snare, 


Glimpses  of  Fate  295 

yet  I  stated  my  convictions  candidly.  If  Salcedo 
wished  to  condemn  me,  he  would  condemn  me,  and 
that  was  all  there  was  in  it. 

At  the  end  Father  Hocus  sat  for  some  moments  sip 
ping  his  wine,  holding  the  glass  as  daintily  and  caress 
ingly  between  his  plump  white  fingers  as  I  would  have 
held  my  lady's  hand.  He  set  it  down  to  be  refilled  by 
the  assiduous  lackey  at  his  elbow,  and  addressed  me 
in  English:  "Republican,  heretic,  and  Anglo- 
American  —  it  is  unfortunate.  None  are  popular  in 
the  domains  of  His  Most  Catholic  Majesty." 

"  I  did  not  come  here  to  curry  favor  with  your 
people,  padre,"  I  replied. 

"  Not  with  all,  perhaps,  but  —  "  Again  he  raised 
his  glass  and  sipped  for  several  moments.  Yet  I  ob 
served  that  his  half-shut  eyes  were  fixed  upon  me  in  a 
penetrating  gaze.  "  You  are  acquainted  in  Chi 
huahua?  "  he  remarked,  in  a  tone  as  much  of  state 
ment  as  inquiry. 

"  Lieutenant  Malgares  has  honored  us  with  his 
friendship." 

"  Are  there  not  others?  "  he  queried. 

"  If  so,  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  mention  their  names,"1 
I  said. 

"Good!"  he  commented.  "Discretion  is  the  one 
quality  in  which  I  thought  you  lacking.  I  now  feel 
justified  in  returning  to  you  an  article  which  I  have 
reason  to  believe  is  your  property." 

"An  article  —  my  property?"  I  repeated,  not  a 
little  puzzled. 


296  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

He  smiled,  and,  unobserved  by  the  attendants, 
handed  me  my  lady's  handkerchief.  I  gazed  at  it, 
first  astounded,  then  dismayed.  It  was  all  too  clear 
that  my  message  had  been  intercepted,  probably  by 
Don  Pedro,  and  intrusted  to  this  priest,  to  be  re 
turned  as  a  courteous  hint  that  my  suit  for  the  niece's 
hand  was  not  acceptable.  But  as,  greatly  downcast, 
I  thrust  the  handkerchief  into  my  bosom,  the  padre 
raised  his  brows,  and  spoke  in  evident  surprise:  "  You 
do  not  appear  pleased,  senor  doctor.  From  what  she 
said,  I  was  led  to  infer  —  " 

"What  she  said?"  I- broke  in.  "She?  You 
mean  —  " 

"  A  certain  senorita  who  voyaged  down  a  long  river 
in  company  with  her  uncle  and  a  certain  gallant  young 
heretic,"  he  answered  over  his  glass. 

"  She  —  my  Alisanda!  Then  it  is  from  her  you 
bring  the  kerchief!  You  are  our  friend!  " 

"  I  am  her  confessor,  and,  I  trust,  her  best  friend," 
he  replied.  "  As  for  yourself,  God  grant  I  may 
also  become  your  friend  and  confessor." 

"  Friend  —  yes !  "    I  assented  eagerly. 

"And  confessor!"  he  urged.  "Remember,  you 
are  now  in  the  Kingdom  of  New  Spain.  It  is  in  point 
to  remark  that  a  heretic  was  burned  at  the  city  of 
Mexico  within  the  last  three  years." 

My  head  sank  forward  in  gloomy  meditation.  I 
had  crossed  the  Barrier,  it  is  true;  but  now  I  saw 
yawning  before  me  the  abyss  of  the  Gulf. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

THE    HOUSE   OF   VALLOIS 

BEFORE  I  could  pluck  up  my  depressed  spirits 
sufficiently  to  ask  Father  Rocus  the  thousand 
and  one  questions  about  my  lady  which  for  months  I 
had  been  longing  to  have  answered,  the  Governor- 
General  rose  from  the  table  with  an  abruptness  that 
surprised  us.  Though  by  now  somewhat  informed  as 
to  the  Spanish-Mexican  custom  of  the  siesta,  we  had 
supposed  that  at  a  formal  dinner,  served  in  the  usual 
mode,  there  would  be  some  lingering  over  the  wine. 

We  had  sat  scarcely  an  hour,  all  told.  Yet  His  Ex 
cellency  led  us  into  the  sola,  and  awaited  our  adieus 
with  a  manner  which,  though  urbane,  did  not  encour 
age  extended  farewells.  As  his  bearing  toward  myself 
was  markedly  less  gracious  than  toward  Pike  and 
Malgares,  I  for  one  was  not  so  ill-pleased  as  I  might 
have  been  over  this  hurried  leave-taking. 

In  the  outer  gateway  Malgares  for  the  second  time 
excused  himself  to  gallop  off  to  his  sefiora,  while  we 
returned  afoot  across  the  plaza  with  the  ubiquitous 
Walker.  Upon  reaching  his  quarters,  the  latter  in 
vited  us  to  recline  on  the  mattresses  which  had  been 
provided  for  us  by  old  Caesar.  He  himself  preferred 
one  of  the  long  net  hammocks  such  as  are  used  among 


298          A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

the  Spaniards  of  the  tropical  coast  lands.  We  chatted 
a  few  minutes  over  our  cigarros,  and  then  Walker 
dropped  asleep. 

Pike  at  once  informed  me  that  Salcedo  had  taken 
possession  of  all  the  papers  in  his  little  despatch  trunk 
other  than  the  letters  from  Mrs.  Pike.  These  last, 
prompted  by  the  same  chivalry  which  had  induced 
Allencaster  to  restore  me  my  treasures,  the  Governor- 
General  had  permitted  my  friend  to  pocket  without 
examination,  upon  the  statement  that  they  were  from 
a  lady.  But  that  all  the  really  valuable  papers,  such 
as  our  charts,  astronomical  observations,  and  journals, 
would  be  retained  the  Lieutenant  now  had  little  doubt. 

"  However,"  he  concluded,  "  worse  come  to  worse, 
we  have  your  copy  of  the  courses  and  distances,  cov 
ering  everything  except  that  side  excursion  to  the 
Platte  and  down  the  Upper  Arkansas." 

"  And  there  is  your  keen  eye  and  retentive  mem 
ory,"  I  added.  '  We  have  already  seen  enough  of 
New  Spain  for  the  information  to  more  than  offset  the 
loss  of  the  papers  —  if  they  really  are  lost.  Had  we 
headed  straight  for  the  Red  from  the  Rio  del  Norte, 
we  should  have  saved  the  papers,  but  should  have  gone 
home  as  ignorant  of  New  Spain  as  we  came." 

"  And  you  without  seeing  your  senorita!  " 

"  Ah,  that!  "  I  murmured.  "  It  may  be  I  shall  pay 
dearly  for  the  venture.  You  saw  how  Salcedo  varied 
his  manner  toward  me.  But  it  is  worth  the  risk.  I 
could  not  have  done  otherwise!  " 

"  I  believe  you,  John.    I  myself  caught  a  glimpse 


The  House  of  Vallois  299 

of  your  lady.  I  no  longer  wonder!  But  if  Salcedo 
really  is  ill-disposed  toward  you,  the  sooner  you  get 
in  touch  with  the  senorita  and  her  people  the  better. 
It  may  be  they  have  influence." 

"  I  shall  make  every  effort  to  do  so  before  the  day 
is  over,"  I  said.  "  The  difficulty  is  this  Walker." 

"  He  is  an  informer,"  said  Pike.  "  Of  that  I  have 
no  doubts.  I  propose  to  give  him  enough  and  to 
spare  of  material  for  his  tale-bearing." 

"Good!"  I  cried.  "  A  bold  front  is  the  best.  Sal 
cedo  is  bound  to  release  you;  while  as  for  myself,  if 
they  garrotte  me,  they  shall  not  have  the  satisfaction 
of  saying  that  I  cringed.  No!  we  will  tell  this  in 
former  what  we  think  of  matters  Spanish." 

Before  Pike  could  reply,  we  were  startled  by  a 
sudden  out-clanging  of  bells  in  the  towers  of  the  Par- 
roquia.  Walker  started  up  and  stared  at  us.  Pike 
yawned,  stretched,  and  remarked  to  me,  in  a  casual 
tone :  "  You  're  right.  This  government  is  one  fit 
only  for  masters  and  slaves." 

"  You  mean,  a  master  and  slaves,"  I  returned. 

"  No  —  one  master  here  and  one  in  Old  Spain." 

"  Why  not  put  it,  a  master  there  and  an  overseer 
here?  The  comparison  is  in  point  between  this  ar 
rangement  and  that  of  one  of  our  Virginia  or  Caro 
lina  plantation-owners  who  lives  in  town  and  leaves 
his  estate  under  the  care  of  an  overseer.  You  could 
hardly  call  the  overseer  a  master." 

"  The  difference  is  that  he  drives  people  of  a  race 
born  for  slavery,  while  here  —  " 


300  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  Here,"  broke  in  Walker,  his  face  quivering  — 
"  here  some  who  were  not  born  to  slavery  fall  into  it 
unawares !  " 

"What!"  I  said.  "Do  you,  who  voluntarily 
joined  the  cavalry  of  New  Spain,  complain  of  the 
Government  to  which  you  owe  allegiance?  " 

"Voluntarily?  —  No,  gentlemen.  New  Orleans  is 
not  Chihuahua,  nor  was  it  so  even  under  Spanish  rule. 
I  did  not  realize  what  I  was  venturing  when  I  entered 
this  service.  I  have  attempted  to  withdraw,  but  they 
refuse  to  accept  my  resignation." 

"  Ah,  well,"  said  Pike,  "  since  it  seems  we  are  to  be 
your  guests,  lieutenant,  I  am  pleased  that  you  un 
derstand  and  share  our  opinion  of  this  despotic  Gov 
ernment.  Discontent  is  a  hopeful  sign  when  tyranny 
is  rampant.  Only  let  a  few  of  the  bolder  spirits 
among  you  pluck  up  courage  to  seek  open  redress  for 
your  wrongs,  and  Mexico  will  soon  fling  off  the  yoke 
of  Spain,  as  our  glorious  States  broke  their  bondage 
to  Britain." 

I  saw  our  host's  eyes  begin  to  widen.  To  keep  the 
ball  rolling,  I  chimed  in  along  the  same  line.  Walker 
did  not  again  speak,  but  sat  staring  in  open  amaze 
ment  at  our  audacity,  —  of  course  with  both  ears 
wide.  Having  started  off  at  such  a  pace,  we  were 
almost  out  of  material  when  Csesar  thrust  in  his 
woolly  head  and  announced  Senor  Vallois.  Walker 
promptly  called  out  a  floridly  complimentary  invita 
tion  for  the  visitor  to  enter. 

Don  Pedro  came  in,  every  inch  the  gentleman  and 


The  House  of  Vallois  301 

grand  haciendado.  As  he  straightened  from  his  bows 
to  our  host,  I  had  time  only  to  observe  that  since  our 
parting  his  face  had  lost  several  shades  of  tan  and 
gained  many  deep  lines  of  anxiety.  A  moment  later 
he  gripped  my  hand  and  shook  it  with  cordial  hearti 
ness.  But  at  the  end,  instead  of  releasing  his  clasp, 
he  slipped  his  left  arm  around  my  waist  and  pressed 
himself  to  me  until  our  cheeks  touched.  It  was  the 
first  time  I  had  either  seen  or  experienced  this  curious 
custom  of  the  country,  and  it  so  surprised  me  that  I 
stood  unbending  to  his  embrace. 

"  How  is  this,  Don  Juan?  "  he  demanded.  "  Are 
your  friends  so  soon  forgot?" 

"  No,  no,  Don  Pedro !  It  is  only  that  I  did  not  look 
for  so  warm  a  greeting  from  you.  You  must  be 
aware  that  I  am  here  under  a  cloud." 

'  The  more  reason  for  your  friends  to  support 
you !  "  he  protested  with  generous  fervor. 

"  Senor,  I  should  have  known  that  so  noble  a  gentle 
man  as  yourself  could  have  done  none  else!  " 

We  bowed  together,  and  I  then  introduced  him  to 
Pike,  adding  for  Walker's  benefit  that  the  don  was 
an  acquaintance  I  had  met  in  Washington.  So  far  we 
had  held  to  the  French.  Now  the  don  delighted  Pike 
by  addressing  him  in  English:  "  Sir,  I  am  more  than 
pleased  to  meet  you.  I  have  heard  rumors  of  your  ex 
traordinary  trip  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi." 
'  You  are  kind,  sir.  But  it  was  nothing  worth  men 
tioning.  The  soldiers  of  the  Republic  are  accus 
tomed  to  doing  their  duty." 


302  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"But  this  present  expedition!"  added  the  don. 
"  I  understand  that  you  crossed  the  Sangre  de  Cristo 
in  February." 

"  It  was  cross  over  —  or  perish." 

"  Madre  de  Dios!  That  is  the  point.  It  seems  that 
you  and  Don  Juan  did  cross  over  when  most  men 
would  have  perished.  Do  you  then  marvel  that  my 
wife  is  desirous  of  meeting  two  such  heroes?"  He 
turned  to  Walker  with  a  bow.  "  With  your  kind  per 
mission,  Lieutenant  Walker,  I  will  borrow  your 
guests  for  the  evening." 

"  Ah  —  yes  —  indeed  —  "    hesitated  Walker. 

"  My  sincerest  regrets,  sir,"  broke  in  Pike.  "  You 
will  pardon  my  declining  the  kind  invitation.  This 
long  ride  from  Santa  Fe  and  the  heat  have  fatigued 
me  more  than  I  realized." 

"  Santisima  Virgen!  "  exclaimed  Don  Pedro,  un- 
feignedly  disappointed.  "  Yet  as  you  need  rest,  I 
must  console  myself  with  the  hope  that  you  will  honor 
us  with  your  presence  in  the  near  future.  As  to  this 
evening,  however,  I  must  urge  Don  Juan  to  accom 
pany  me." 

"  By  all  means!  "   I  assented. 

This,  as  was  plainly  evident  from  his  manner,  put 
Walker  into  a  quandary.  To  have  ordered  me  to  re 
main  would  have  exposed  the  hand  of  the  Governor- 
General.  Yet  how  could  he  watch  both  Pike  and 
myself  if  we  separated  ?  It  was  an  impossibility.  He 
hesitated  for  a  long  moment,  and  then  bowed  to  Don 
Pedro :  "  With  your  kind  permission,  senor,  I  will  pay 


The  House  of  Vallois  303 

my  respects  to   Senora   Vallois.     Lieutenant   Don 
Montgomery  should  be  allowed  to  repose  in  quiet." 

'  Your  pleasure  is  mine,  senor,"  replied  Don  Pedro, 
with  a  punctilious  note  in  his  politeness  that  told  me  he 
was  not  altogether  pleased  at  Walker's  self -invitation. 

It  occurred  to  me  that  the  Governor- General  might 
have  as  much  or  more  reason  to  spy  upon  him  as 
upon  myself.  If  the  don  was  in  the  thick  of  a  revo 
lutionary  conspiracy,  as  might  well  be,  he  was  vastly 
more  dangerous  to  the  Government  than  myself. 
The  thought  filled  me  with  sudden  dread  for  the 
safety  of  my  lady's  kinsman.  But  on  the  heels  of  this 
fright  came  the  reassurance  that,  after  all,  Walker's 
interest  might  well  be  accounted  for  by  the  presence 
of  a  certain  senorita  in  the  home  of  Don  Pedro.  We 
had  taken  for  granted  that  he  was  an  informer.  Yet 
his  present  course  was  quite  as  reasonably  explained 
by  his  desire  to  see  Senorita  Vallois. 

Leaving  Pike  to  his  own  devices,  we  left  the  house 
and  walked  leisurely  around  the  edge  of  the  plaza. 
This  brought  us  past  a  number  of  the  city's  larg 
est  merchandise  establishments,  to  which  groups  of 
reboza-veiled  senoras  and  senoritas  were  beginning  to 
saunter  for  the  evening's  shopping.  Now  and  again 
a  bright,  coquettish  eye  peeped  out  at  us  from  among 
the  folds  of  a  close-drawn  headwrap.  But  I  was  not 
curious  to  look  twice  at  any  of  these  over-rotund 
brunettes.  To  me  there  was  only  one  lady  in  all  the 
world,  and  now  I  was  going  to  see  her,  to  hear  her  ex 
quisite  voice,  after  almost  a  year  of  separation. 


304  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

A  few  minutes,  which  to  my  impatience  seemed 
hours,  brought  us  to  the  door  of  Don  Pedro.  I  should 
say,  to  the  wicket  in  the  great  iron  gate  of  the  arch 
way.  At  sight  of  us  the  porter  within  sprang  to  free 
the  bolt.  But  before  we  could  enter  there  sounded  a 
clatter  of  hoofs  in  the  nearest  side  street,  and  Mal- 
gares  came  galloping  into  view.  Don  Pedro  paused 
for  him  to  ride  up,  and  a  moment  later  they  were  ex 
changing  that  curious  salute  of  handshake  and  cheek- 
to-cheek  embrace.  Malgares  then  explained  that  his 
wife  was  at  the  house  of  Don  Pedro,  and  that 
he  had  just  secured  relief  from  his  duties  to  follow 
her. 

As  we  entered,  a  groom  ran  forward  to  take  charge 
of  Malgares's  horse,  while  the  don  conducted  us  up 
the  stairway  in  the  nearest  corner  of  his  beautiful 
garden-court.  A  short  turn  along  the  gallery  brought 
us  to  the  entrance  of  a  large  sola.  By  now  I  was 
so  wrought  up  that  I  found  it  necessary  to  pause 
beside  the  open  doorway  to  regain  my  composure, 
the  result  of  which  was  that  all  the  others  passed  in 
before  me. 

I  followed  close  behind  Walker.  The  first  glance 
showed  me  that  my  lady  was  not  in  the  room.  Mal 
gares,  who  had  entered  with  Don  Pedro,  stood  before 
his  wife  and  Senora  Vallois,  clasping  the  hand  of  the 
latter.  The  ladies,  I  observed,  wore  the  full  petticoats 
and  short  jackets  of  their  countrywomen,  though 
their  costumes  were  of  the  richest  and  most  elegant 
materials.  As  I  stood  gazing  at  them,  I  was  aston- 


The  House  of  Vallois  305 

ished  to  see  Malgares  and  the  rotund  lady  exchange 
that  same  odd  embrace  of  greeting  with  which  our 
host  had  favored  myself  and  Don  Faciendo. 

Knowing  the  fiery  jealousy  of  the  Spaniards,  I 
looked  for  Don  Pedro  to  strike  the  audacious  soldier, 
and  Dona  Dolores  to  burst  into  angry  tears.  Instead, 
they  stood  by,  beaming  at  the  affectionate  pair  with 
utmost  complacency.  Malgares  turned  to  his  smiling 
wife,  and  Senora  Vallois  gave  Walker  her  hand  to 
salute.  When  he  also  stepped  aside,  Don  Pedro  in 
troduced  me,  first  to  his  senora,  and  then  to  Dona 
Dolores  Malgares.  Each  permitted  me  to  salute  her 
hand. 

Straightening  from  my  second  bow,  I  was  over 
joyed  to  see  Alisanda  crossing  the  room  toward  us. 
But  Malgares  was  before  me.  He  met  her  with  a 
bow.  They  grasped  hands  in  that  cordial  manner,  ex 
changed  a  few  words  of  greeting,  and  —  embraced ! 

This  was  too  much !  It  might  be  the  custom  of  the 
country  —  doubtless  it  was  the  custom  of  the  coun 
try  —  But  for  my  lady  to  welcome  another  man  than 
myself,  not  of  her  family,  was  more  than  I  could  en 
dure.  I  stepped  forward,  frowning.  Alisanda  slipped 
from  Malgares's  embrace  and  came  to  meet  me,  her 
lips  parting  in  a  demurely  mischievous  smile. 

"  Hola,  amigo!  "  she  murmured.  "  It  is  joyous  to 
meet  a  friend  after  so  many  months! " 

"  It  is  heaven!  "  I  mumbled,  attempting  to  read  her 
eyes. 

But  she  drooped  her  long  lashes.     I  clasped  her 


306  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

little  hand  and  bent  to  kiss  it.  Again  I  was  frus 
trated.  She  drew  the  hand  back.  But  her  firm  clasp 
did  not  relax.  In  the  excess  of  my  emotion,  I  did  not 
realize  her  purpose  until  she  had  drawn  me  close,  and 
her  left  arm  began  to  encircle  me.  Then  the  truth 
flashed  upon  me.  She  had  welcomed  Malgares  ac 
cording  to  the  custom  of  the  country  that  I  too  might 
enjoy  that  most  delightful  of  greetings!  The  discov 
ery  was  too  much  for  my  discretion  to  withstand. 
Swept  away  by  my  love  and  adoration,  I  caught  the 
dear  girl  to  me  and  kissed  her  fairly  upon  her  sweet 
lips. 

I  heard  a  sharp  exclamation  from  Don  Pedro,  and 
Alisanda  thrust  herself  free  from  me,  her  pale  cheeks 
suddenly  gone  as  scarlet  as  her  lips.  Her  dark  eyes 
flashed  at  me  a  glance  of  scorn  and  anger  which 
sobered  me  on  the  instant.  I  half  turned  to  the 
others,  who  were  all  alike  staring  at  me  in  angry 
amazement. 

"  Senora  Vallois!  "  I  exclaimed,  "  can  you  not  par 
don  this  blunder  —  my  deplorable  ignorance  of  your 
customs?  This  is  my  first  experience  with  your  gra 
cious  salute  of  friends.  The  offence  was  absolutely 
unintentional.  Believe  me,  my  esteem  and  respect  for 
Senorita  Vallois  is  such  that  nothing  could  cause  me 
greater  grief  than  the  consciousness  I  had  offended 
her." 

"Do  not  apologize  further,  Senor  Robinson,"  re 
plied  the  sefiora,  melting  more  at  my  tone  and  look  of 
concern  than  at  the  words.  "Your  explanation  is 


The  House  of  Vallois  307 

quite  sufficient.  I  am  certain  my  niece  will  pardon 
you  the  error." 

"  If  only  she  may!  "  I  cried,  turning  to  Alisanda. 
"  Senorita,  will  you  not  forgive  me?  Do  not  hold  it 
against  me  that  in  attempting  to  conform  to  your  eti 
quette  I  passed  the  bounds !  You  must  know  that  no 
disrespect  was  intended —  Far  from  it!  I  meant 
only  to  express  my  great  esteem." 

"  My  aunt  has  spoken  for  me,  Senor  Robinson," 
she  answered  coldly.  "  The  incident  is  already  for 
gotten." 

"  But  not  Senor  Robinson,"  remarked  Senora  Mal- 
gares.  "  I  am  consumed  with  curiosity  to  hear  more 
about  his  marvellous  adventures.  My  beloved  Fa- 
ciendo  has  told  me  that  the  senor  doctor  and  his  fellow 
Americanos  crossed  and  recrossed  the  northern  moun 
tains  in  the  very  midst  of  the  Winter." 

"  They  were  a  barrier  in  our  way,  senora.  We  could 
do  none  else  than  cross  them,"  I  replied,  with  a  side- 
glance  at  Alisanda. 

This  time  she  met  me  with  that  calm,  level  gaze 
which  I  had  always  found  so  inscrutable.  Now,  as 
then,  I  looked  deep  into  those  lovely  eyes  and  saw  only 
mystery.  But  Dona  Dolores  would  not  be  denied. 

"  Santa  Maria!  "  she  exclaimed.  "  When  am  I  to 
hear  about  your  heroic  journey,  Senor  Robinson?  " 

"  Pardon  me,  senora,"  I  replied.  "  Don  Faciendo 
is  better  qualified  to  serve  as  historian.  He  insisted 
upon  learning  the  facts  alike  from  Lieutenant  Pike 
and  myself." 


308  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  If  Don  Faciendo  will  graciously  ease  our  impa 
tience,"  urged  Senora  Vallois. 

"  Nothing  could  give  me  greater  pleasure,  Dona 
Marguerite,"  assented  Malgares. 

"  Be  seated,  friends.  I  am  sure  we  are  all  eager  to 
hear,"  said  the  senora.  Even  Walker  bowed  quick 
assent  to  this.  "  I  am  most  interested  of  all  present, 
because  Senor  Robinson  showered  endless  courtesies 
and  favors  upon  my  beloved  Pedro  and  Alisanda 
while  they  were  journeying  through  his  country." 

"  Believe  me,  senora,"  I  protested,  "  what  little  I 
was  able  to  do  fell  far  short  of  the  favors  I  received." 

"  One  word  or  glance  from  Senorita  Vallois  were 
worth  the  service  of  a  lifetime !  "  put  in  Walker. 

My  feeling  went  too  deep  for  verbal  compliments. 
I  stood  dumb,  and  watched  Walker  receive  a  smile 
over  my  lady's  fan  that  repaid  him  a  hundredfold. 
The  others  were  now  moving  toward  the  end  of  the 
sala,  where  were  grouped  three  or  four  low  divans. 
Alisanda  glided  after  Dona  Dolores,  and  Walker 
promptly  stepped  out  beside  her.  I  followed  last  of 
all,  too  fearful  of  another  false  move  to  force  myself 
forward. 

Yet  somehow,  when  we  came  to  seat  ourselves,  I 
was  delighted  to  find  myself  beside  Alisanda  at  the 
end  of  the  divan,  while  Walker  was  hedged  off  from 
her  on  the  other  side  by  Dona  Dolores.  As  the  plump 
little  senora  chose  to  tuck  up  her  limbs  Turk-fashion, 
the  interval  was  not  narrow.  Walker  had  to  perch  on 
the  extreme  far  corner  of  the  divan. 


The  House  of  Vallois  309 

Malgares  and  our  host  sat  across  from  us,  while 
Dona  Marguerite  reclined  upon  the  third  divan. 
Alisanda  was  the  only  one  of  the  ladies  who  sat  up 
right.  She  did  not  look  at  me.  But  for  the  moment 
it  was  enough  that  her  shoulder  touched  my  arm. 

When  all  were  settled,  Malgares  plunged  into  his 
account,  which  he  rendered  in  a  crisp,  clear  French 
that  made  every  statement  stand  out  like  a  cameo. 
First  of  all  he  gave  a  brief  and  modest  recital  of  his 
own  remarkable  expedition,  dwelling  strongest  upon 
his  arrangements  with  the  savages  to  stop  us ;  the  vast 
extent  of  the  all  but  treeless  prairies,  and  the  grandeur 
of  the  mighty  snow  mountains  of  the  North. 

He  then  described  how  our  little  party  had  come  to 
the  Pawnees  and  braved  their  might ;  how,  late  as  was 
the  season,  we  had  pushed  on  westward,  and  how, 
in  the  midst  of  the  midwinter's  cold,  we  had  clambered 
about  among  those  huge  sierras  of  rock  and  snow. 
As  told  by  him,  the  account  drew  bravo  after  bravo 
from  the  little  audience.  When  he  described  our  as 
cent  of  what  we  had  supposed  to  be  the  Grand  Peak, 
Alisanda  flashed  at  me  a  glance  that  put  me  into  a 
glow  of  bliss.  Malgares  was  a  flattering  historian. 
But  he  was  not  satisfied  with  his  own  efforts.  When 
it  came  to  the  descent  of  the  terrific  gorge  of  the  Ar 
kansas  by  Brown  and  myself,  he  broke  off  in  the  midst 
and  insisted  upon  my  picturing  that  awful  canyon  in 
my  own  words. 

"  Nada"  I  hesitated.    "  I  cannot  tell  it." 

"You  must,  Juan!"   murmured  my  lady. 


310  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

To  say  "  no  "  to  her  was  impossible.  I  went  on  with 
the  tale  as  best  I  could  in  my  rude  French,  and  related 
how  Brown  and  I  had  made  our  way  up  the  icy  ascent 
of  the  side  ravine.  As  I  described  the  cutting  of  foot 
holds  and  our  slow  clambering  higher  and  higher  out 
of  the  chasm,  Alisanda's  eyes  widened  and  her  hands 
met  in  a  convulsive  clasp.  Before  I  had  finished  she 
was  breathing  hard  with  excitement.  The  other  ladies 
were  hardly  less  thrilled.  Women  are  so  easily 
startled  by  the  recital  of  dangers  which  a  man  risks  as 
a  matter  of  course. 

But  when  I  came  to  our  terrible  journey  in  the 
valley  of  starvation  it  was  not  alone  the  ladies  who 
were  moved.  Aside  from  Walker  I  felt  that  all  my 
listeners  were  friends,  and  I  could  not  forego  the  op 
portunity  to  describe  fully  the  heroic  fortitude  with 
which  my  indomitable  friend  and  his  men  had  endured 
their  sufferings  and  struggled  on  against  all  odds.  If 
my  eyes  were  wet  when  I  told  of  the  injuries  of  the 
poor  lads  Sparks  and  Dougherty,  there  was  at  least 
one  present  who  did  not  consider  my  emotion  un 
manly.  She  bowed  her  head  in  her  hands  and  wept. 

I  went  on  to  tell  how  the  unfortunate  men  had  sent 
the  bones  from  their  frozen  feet,  in  pitiful  appeal  to 
their  commander,  and  how  they  were  being  brought 
after  us,  maimed  and  unable  to  walk.  It  was  not  my 
desire  to  harrow  my  listeners  needlessly,  but  I  knew 
that  the  Malgares  and  the  Vallois  were  among  the 
richest  families  in  New  Spain,  and  felt  certain  that  to 
tell  them  the  piteous  truth  would  insure  the  injured 


The  House  of  Vallois  311 

men  the  best  of  care  so  long  as  they  should  be  detained 
by  the  Governor- General. 

Having  covered  this  point,  I  went  back  and  de 
scribed  how  we  had  fought  our  way  on  up  the  desolate 
plateau  and  across  the  Sangre  de  Cristo,  and  had  at 
last  found  relief  from  toil  and  frost  and  famine  in  the 
broad  valley  of  the  Rio  del  Norte. 

"  So  there  was  an  end  of  our  hardships,"  I  con 
cluded.  "  We  had  crossed  the  barrier." 

"You  had  crossed  the  barrier!"  murmured  my 
lady,  and  through  the  tears  which  still  glistened  in 
her  eyes  she  shot  me  a  glance  that  repaid  in  full  for 
all  my  months  of  journeying  to  find  her. 

"  But  that  is  not  the  end,  Senor  Robinson! "  cried 
Dona  Dolores,  with  the  sweet  petulance  of  a  young 
bride.  "  Faciendo,  you  must  let  them  know  how  Don 
Juan  left  his  companions  and  came  alone  all  the  way 
to  Santa  Fe,  fearless  of  the  hideous  Apaches." 

"  The  Apaches  do  not  range  so  far  north,  nina" 
corrected  her  husband.  "  Yet  is  it  dangerous  for  a 
man  to  go  alone  among  any  of  the  wild  tribes,  or 
even  among  the  tame  Indians,  if  they  have  reason  to 
believe  his  murder  will  not  be  discovered.  That,  how 
ever,  was  a  small  matter  compared  to  the  courage  re 
quired  to  brave  condemnation  as  a  spy." 

"Spy?"    exclaimed  Senor  Vallois. 

I  saw  Alisanda  shrink  at  the  word,  and  Walker 
bend  forward  to  catch  the  answer. 

"  You  must  remember  that  Don  Juan  and  his  com 
panions  had  been  absent  from  the  nearest  of  their 


312  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

frontier  settlements  for  seven  or  eight  months,"  ex 
plained  Malgares.  "  How  was  he  to  foresee  whether 
or  not  war  had  been  declared?  " 

"  War  or  not,"  interrupted  Walker,  "  Senor  Rob 
inson  not  only  invaded  our  territories  in  company  with 
a  military  force,  but,  as  I  understand  the  event,  he 
ventured  into  Santa  Fe  in  disguise  and  without  ac 
knowledging  his  relation  to  Lieutenant  Pike." 

"How  about  it,  Don  Faciendo?"  I  asked.  "Is 
an  incursion  into  the  territories  of  a  neighboring 
Government  necessarily  an  act  of  war? " 

"For  Dios!"  he  laughed.  "You  have  us  there! 
I  trust  that  His  Excellency  will  consider  his  own  pro 
ceedings,  and  be  moved  to  look  with  a  lenient  eye  upon 
the  mistake  of  our  Americano  friends." 

"  So  exalted  a  personage  must  be  a  man  of  dis 
cretion,"  I  said,  looking  fixedly  at  Walker.  "  His 
Excellency  will  think  twice  before  exacting  vengeance 
for  so  small  an  offence.  The  garrotting  or  imprison 
ment  of  one  or  all  the  members  of  the  expedition 
would  be  a  bad  bargain  if  it  resulted  in  the  loss  to  His 
Catholic  Majesty  of  the  Floridas.  Mr.  Walker  can 
tell  you  that  the  riflemen  who  muster  for  our  back 
woods  militia  could,  unaided,  sweep  the  Floridas  from 
Louisiana  to  the  Atlantic.  What  is  more,  they  will 
do  it  at  the  first  excuse.  They  are  already  at  full 
cock  over  the  manner  in  which  the  British  agents  are 
allowed  by  your  people  to  come  up  from  the  Gulf 
and  foment  trouble  against  us  among  the  Creeks, 
Cherokees,  and  Choctaws.  Let  General  Salcedo  go 


The  House  of  Vallois  313 

to  extremes  with  our  peaceful  expedition,  and  there 
will  be  a  setting  of  triggers  from  Georgia  to 
Louisiana." 

"  Madre  de  Dios!  Be  prudent,  I  pray  you,  Juan!  " 
warned  Don  Pedro.  "  Such  words  are  best  left 
unsaid." 

"  Are  they?  "  I  demanded.  "  If  to-morrow  every 
free-minded  man  in  New  Spain  spoke  out  his  real 
thoughts,  to-morrow  this  land  would  be  free  from  Old 
Spain." 

"Maria  santisima!"  gasped  Dona  Marguerite, 
dropping  her  fan  and  sitting  erect. 

"  We  forget  that  Don  Juan  is  a  citizen  of  the 
Anglo-American  Republic,"  said  Alisanda,  calmly. 
"  In  his  land  men  are  not  accustomed  to  wear 
muzzles." 

"  Because  our  fathers  rebelled  and  triumphed  over 
the  tyrant  who  oppressed  them,"  I  added. 

There  followed  a  tense  silence.  The  sun  had  set, 
and  I  could  barely  distinguish  the  features  of  the 
others  in  the  fast  gathering  twilight.  There  was  a 
shadow  upon  them,  not  alone  of  the  night. 

Before  any  one  spoke,  the  silence  was  broken  by 
the  peal  of  a  huge  church  bell.  Instantly  all  others 
than  myself  bent  forward,  crossing  themselves  and 
murmuring  hasty  prayers  —  "  Av e  Maria  purisima!  " 
"  Ave  Maria  santisima!  "  —  while  slowly  the  great 
bell  pealed  forth  its  deep  and  sonorous  note. 

In  the  midst  a  little  hand  slipped  out  and  rested  for 
a  moment  upon  my  hard  knuckles.  I  turned  my  palm 


314  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

about  to  clasp  the  visitor,  but  it  flitted  like  a  butterfly. 
An  instant  later  la  oracion  was  brought  to  a  close  by  a 
merry  chime  of  smaller  bells.  The  sefioras  began  to 
chat  in  lively  tones,  and  servants  hastened  in  with 
waxen  tapers  to  relieve  the  deepening  gloom. 

Greatly  to  my  annoyance,  Walker  rose  to  leave.  I 
might  have  surmised  that  he  was  prompted  to  the  ac 
tion  by  jealousy,  but  my  ignorance  of  local  etiquette 
made  me  apprehensive  of  another  blunder.  This 
forced  me  to  follow  his  lead  and  join  in  his  polite 
refusals  of  the  pressing  invitations  of  our  host  and 
hostess  to  remain  for  the  evening.  In  a  land  where, 
upon  an  introduction  to  a  man  in  the  plaza,  he  pre 
sents  you  with  his  house,  and  later  is  not  at  home  to  you 
when  you  call  at  that  same  house,  it  is  as  well  to  take 
the  most  urgent  of  invitations  with  a  grain  of  salt. 

As  we  bowed  to  the  ladies,  Dona  Dolores  demurely 
slipped  aside  and  drew  the  attention  of  the  others  by 
a  piquant  remark  about  one  of  the  fine  paintings  upon 
the  wall.  Alisanda  took  the  opportunity  to  flash  me 
a  glance  which  set  my  heart  to  leaping  with  the  cer 
tainty  that  I  had  lost  nothing  by  my  crossing  of  the 
barrier.  Just  what  I  had  gained  was  yet  to  be  seen. 
I  knew  I  had  gone  far  toward  winning  my  lady's 
heart  —  I  had  crossed  the  barrier  of  nationality  and 
birth.  But  I  did  not  forget  that  I  had  yet  to  cross  the 
gulf  of  religion. 

With  that  one  swift  glance,  she  drew  back,  and  Don 
Pedro  escorted  us  to  the  door.  We  exchanged  bows 
with  him,  and  moved  down  the  gallery  to  the  head  of 


The  House  of  Vallois  315 

the  stairway.  Here  we  turned  and  again  exchanged 
bows.  We  descended  to  the  first  landing,  and  paused 
to  return  the  bow  which  he  made  to  us  over  the  gal 
lery  rail.  Another  exchange  of  bows  from  the  edge  of 
the  beautiful  flower-and-shrub-embowered  court,  and 
we  at  last  escaped  out  through  the  tunnel-like  passage 
to  the  great  gate. 

Passing  through  the  wicket  into  the  street,  which 
was  lit  up  by  the  red  glare  of  a  resin  torch,  we  found 
ourselves  face  to  face  with  Father  Rocus  and  Lieu 
tenant  Don  Jesus  Maria  de  Gonzales  y  Medina. 
The  aide-de-camp  bowed  stiffly  and  stared  from 
Walker  to  myself  with  a  glance  of  fiery  jealousy.  I 
gave  him  a  curt  nod,  and  hastened  to  grasp  the  prof 
fered  hand  of  the  beaming  padre. 

"  God  be  with  you,  my  son!  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  My  thanks  for  the  kind  wish,  padre!  "  I  replied 
"  I  see  you  are  coming  to  call  upon  my  friend  Senor 
Vallois." 

"Your  friend!"  muttered  Medina,  for  I  had 
spoken  in  French. 

"  My  friend,"  I  repeated.  "  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  Don  Pedro  in  my  own  country.  But  now, 
senor,  with  regard  to  our  misunderstanding  this  morn 
ing,  I  wish  to  express  my  regrets  and  to  explain  that 
the  error  was  committed  through  inadvertence." 

"  Ah  —  if  you  apologize,"  he  said,  with  a  compla 
cent  half-sneer. 

"  You  mistake  me,  senor.  I  do  not  apologize.  I 
merely  explain." 


316  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

He  turned,  without  answering,  and  swaggered  in 
through  the  archway. 

"  You  Americanos! "  protested  Father  Hocus, 
reaching  up  to  lay  a  hand  upon  my  shoulder.  "  Can 
you  never  be  prudent?  Medina  is  a  swordsman. 
Your  friend  here  will  tell  you  that  out  of  five  duels, 
the  aide  has  to  his  credit  three  deaths  on  the  black 
record  of  Satanas." 

"  If  he  is  a  swordsman,  I  am  a  pistol  shot,"  I  re 
joined. 

"  Then  all  turns  upon  the  chance  of  who  chal 
lenges  and  who  has  choice  of  weapons.  God  grant 
the  choice  fall  to  you!  He  is  in  strong  need  of  a 
lesson." 

"  That  is  true!  "  muttered  Walker,  with  a  shrug. 

"  Meantime,  my  son,  it  will  be  well  for  you  to  con 
sider  the  peril  of  your  soul  and  come  often  to  the 
Parroquia  to  hear  me  preach,"  admonished  the  padre. 
He  spoke  in  a  severe  tone,  but  I  fancied  I  caught  a 
twinkle  in  his  eye  as  he  turned  to  enter  the  gate. 

Walker  took  me  familiarly  by  the  arm,  and  as  we 
sauntered  back  to  his  quarters,  first  inquired  particu 
larly  as  to  my  skill  with  the  pistol,  and  then  went  into 
the  details  of  Medina's  duels.  Before  he  had  finished 
I  divined  that  he  and  others  of  the  officers  at  Chi 
huahua  would  be  more  than  pleased  to  see  some  one 
trim  the  comb  of  the  braggadocio  aide-de-camp.  If 
an  outsider  could  be  inveigled  into  taking  the  risk,  so 
much  the  better. 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

THE   SERENADE 

THE  following  morning  I  assisted  Pike  in  the 
preparation  of  a  sketch  of  our  trip,  which  had 
been  most  courteously  requested  by  Salcedo.  Walker 
offered  his  services,  and  would  take  no  refusal.  But 
we  found  more  than  one  opportunity  for  a  word  apart, 
and  Pike  told  me  that  he  was  already  in  touch  with  the 
woolly-headed  old  Csesar,  who  had  at  once  offered  to 
help  us  to  obtain  information  as  to  the  country's  mines, 
ranches,  and  Government.  He  had  begun  by  point 
ing  out  to  my  friend  the  closet  in  which  were  secreted 
the  Government  maps  that  had  hung  on  the  walls  be 
fore  our  arrival. 

After  dinner  and  the  siesta,  we  received  calls  from 
a  number  of  the  most  prominent  gentlemen  of  Chi 
huahua,  including  Malgares's  father-in-law,  Colonel 
Mayron,  and  Don  Manuel  Zuloaga,  one  of  the  under 
secretaries.  Almost  in  the  first  breath  the  latter  in 
sisted  upon  our  visiting  him  that  evening,  and  as  he 
chanced  to  be  the  first  in  the  field,  we  assented. 

Other  invitations  showered  upon  us  thick  and  fast, 
so  that  it  soon  became  apparent  we  should  not  lack  for 
social  entertainment,  despite  our  equivocal  position  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Governor- General.  More  than  once  we 


318  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

were  urged  to  move  to  the  luxurious  homes  of  these 
generous  gentlemen,  but  declined  because  Salcedo  had 
intimated  his  wish  that  we  should  stay  in  Walker's 
quarters.  Otherwise  there  seemed  to  be  no  check  upon 
our  liberty.  We  were  free  to  come  and  go  in  the  city 
as  we  chose.  To  save  us  the  annoyance  of  arrest  by 
the  night  patrols,  we  were  even  given  the  especial 
countersign  of  "  Americanos." 

During  the  afternoon  Malgares  and  Senor  Vallois 
pressed  Pike  and  myself  to  receive  loans  from  them 
of  sufficient  money  to  replenish  our  wardrobes.  We 
declined,  but  later  accepted  a  loan  from  Senor  Zu- 
loaga,  on  his  representations  that  Salcedo  would  soon 
comply  with  my  friend's  application  for  an  official 
loan,  and  that  we  owed  it  to  the  dignity  of  our  coun 
try  to  present  a  favorable  appearance.  Accordingly, 
we  went  out  with  him  to  his  tailor  and  to  the  stores, 
and  made  provisions  for  complete  costumes  in  the 
prevailing  mode  of  Europe  and  our  own  country. 

This  occupied  us  until  vespers,  or  la  oracion,  after 
which,  having  donned  such  articles  of  our  new  outfit 
as  were  ready  for  wear,  we  accompanied  Senor  Zu- 
loaga  to  his  house.  As  the  senor  was  a  bachelor,  we 
spent  a  most  interesting  hour  alone  with  him  on  the 
azotea,  or  flat  earthen  roof  of  his  house,  discussing  the 
great  questions  of  politics  and  religion. 

Our  host  talked  with  freedom,  telling  us,  among 
other  things,  there  was  reason  to  dread  that  Emperor 
Napoleon  had  designs  to  seize  Spain  and  dethrone 
King  Ferdinand.  In  such  event,  he  added,  many  of 


The  Serenade  319 

the  loyal  subjects  in  New  Spain  would  consider  it  the 
highest  patriotism  to  declare  for  independence.  As 
Americans,  Pike  and  I  heartily  commended  this  revo 
lutionary  sentiment. 

Before  we  could  further  sound  the  position  of  our 
host,  other  callers  arrived,  and  he  shifted  the  conver 
sation  to  less  perilous  topics.  We  descended  to  the 
sala,  where  there  soon  gathered  a  number  of  our  new 
acquaintances  and  other  persons  of  wealth  and  sta 
tion  who  expressed  themselves  as  eager  for  an  intro 
duction  to  the  Anglo-Americano  caballeros. 

My  truculent  friend  Lieutenant  Medina  came  in 
early  with  Walker,  to  whom  he  seemed  to  have  much 
to  say  on  the  side.  He  greeted  Pike  effusively,  my 
self  with  marked  reserve.  After  this  he  avoided  us 
both,  and  soon  sat  down  to  gamble  at  cards  with 
other  officers.  The  rest  of  the  company  stood  around 
or  lolled  on  the  divans,  puffing  their  cigarros,  and 
cigarritos,  the  younger  men  chatting  about  women 
and  horses,  the  older  ones  adding  to  these  stock 
topics  the  third  one  of  fortune. 

As  politics  was  a  subject  unmentioned,  Pike  at 
tached  himself  to  the  group  which  seemed  most  dis 
posed  to  discuss  silver  and  gold  mining  and  the  other 
important  industry  of  stock-raising.  I  kept  more 
among  the  younger  men,  gleaning  in  the  chaff  of  their 
sensual  anecdotes  for  grains  of  information  on  mili 
tary  affairs.  My  harvest  was  so  scant  that  I  gave 
over  the  attempt  at  the  serving  of  the  dulces  and  wine, 
an  hour  or  two  before  midnight. 


320  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

This  light  refreshment  proved  to  be  the  signal  for  a 
general  change.  The  gamblers  gave  over  their  cards, 
the  others  their  barren  chatter.  A  guitar  was  brought 
in,  and  Lieutenant  Medina  sang  a  rollicking  wine 
song,  nearly  all  present  joining  in  the  refrain.  The 
aide  was  gifted  with  a  rather  fine  tenor  voice  —  and 
knew  it.  At  the  end  of  the  song,  he  tendered  the 
guitar,  with  a  flourish,  to  the  Americano  lieutenant. 
Pike  declined  the  honor;  upon  which  Medina  turned 
to  me,  with  a  yet  deeper  bow,  his  lip  curled  in  a  smile 
of  malicious  anticipation. 

There  was  a  general  flash  of  surprise  when  I 
gravely  accepted  the  instrument  and  set  about  read 
justing  the  strings  to  my  own  key.  I  did  not  look  at 
Medina,  for  I  had  need  to  keep  a  cool  head.  After  so 
many  months  my  fingers  bent  stiffly  to  the  strings. 
But  I  had  not  forgotten  my  lady's  lessons,  and  as  the 
refrain  of  the  first  song  had  enabled  me  to  test  my 
voice,  I  was  able  to  render  a  Spanish  love  ditty  with 
some  little  success. 

"  Bravo!  "  exclaimed  our  host  as  I  handed  him  the 
guitar.  "  I  did  not  know  that  you  Americanos  were 
singers." 

"  We  are  not,  as  a  rule,"  said  Pike.  "  For  the  most 
part,  our  people  have  been  too  intent  upon  hewing 
their  way  through  the  wilderness  and  fighting  for  life 
and  freedom  to  find  time  for  skilled  voice-training. 
Yet  we  have  our  singing-schools  even  on  the  outer 
frontiers." 

"  It  is  quite  evident  that  Senor  Robinson  has  found 


The  Serenade  321 

time  to  cultivate  his  fine  voice,"  remarked  one  of  the 
crowd. 

"  There  will  soon  be  a  baritone  beneath  the  balco 
nies,"  added  Medina.  "  Beware,  all  you  who  have 
wives  and  daughters !  " 

Senor  Zuloaga  handed  the  guitar  back  to  me. 
"  Pray  accept  this  little  gift  from  a  friend,  Don 
Juan,"  he  said.  "The  senoritas  of  Chihuahua  will 
be  deprived  of  a  great  pleasure  if  you  lack  the  means 
to  serenade  them." 

"  Senor,"  I  replied,  accepting  the  guitar,  "  it  would 
be  most  ungallant  to  refuse  a  gift  presented  in  such 
terms.  Though  I  lack  the  skill  and  voice  of  Lieu 
tenant  Medina,  I  will  do  my  best.  May  I  ask  if  His 
Excellency,  the  Governor-General,  is  the  father  of 
one  of  your  charming  senoritas? " 

A  sudden  hush  fell  upon  the  company  at  the  mere 
mention  of  their  master.  The  silence  was  broken  by 
Pike. 

"  Better  sheer  off  from  that  shore,  John.  Should 
your  ditties  fail  to  please  His  Excellency,  you  are 
apt  to  land  in  the  calabozo" 

"  And  the  other  fathers  are  apt  to  drop  tiles  upon 
my  head,"  I  sighed. 

"  Not  they,"  reassured  Zuloaga.  "  Keep  in  the 
shadow,  and  it  will  not  be  known  but  that  you  are  the 
suitor  favored  by  the  parents." 

"  Yet  what  if  I  am  discovered  to  be  a  stranger? " 
I  inquired,  with  feigned  concern. 

A  dozen  voices  hastened  to  reassure  me  that  a  sere- 

21 


322  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

nade  from  one  of  the  gallant  Americanos  would  be 
taken  in  good  part  by  the  most  hard-hearted  of 
parents. 

"  But  how  do  you  find  the  window  of  the  fair  one?  " 
I  asked. 

"  That  is  to  be  seen,  senor  doctor,"  put  in  Medina. 
"  My  way  is  to  station  myself  across  the  street  and 
sing  the  first  verse.  That  never  fails  to  lure  the  coyest 
of  coquettes  from  her  secrecy." 

"  But,  then,  you  have  the  voice,"  I  mocked. 

"It  is  true,"  he  replied,  taking  me  seriously. 

"  But  what  if  the  senorita's  chamber  is  located  in  a 
remote  part  of  the  house?  "  I  questioned. 

"  You  are  in  truth  a  stranger  to  the  women,"  he 
jeered.  "  Count  upon  it  that  every  senorita  in  Chi 
huahua,  however  ugly,  has  a  balconied  chamber,  either 
upon  the  front  or  the  side  street." 

"  Muchas  gracias,  Don  Lieutenant,"  I  said,  and 
turned  to  Pike.  "  Hola,  Don  Montgomery!  Would 
you  keep  the  ladies  waiting  for  their  serenade? " 

This  raised  a  polite  laugh,  in  the  midst  of  which 
Pike,  Walker,  and  I  essayed  the  prolonged  ceremony 
of  leave-taking.  At  the  door  of  the  sola  an  attendant 
relieved  me  of  the  guitar,  and  for  a  little  I  thought 
Zuloaga's  presentation  had  been  a  mere  formality. 
But  as  we  passed  the  gate  into  the  street  the  attendant 
returned  the  instrument,  in  a  handsome  case. 

"  You  are  in  fortune,  doctor,"  remarked  Walker. 
"  That  is  as  fine  a  guitar  as  is  to  be  found  in  Chi 
huahua." 


The  Serenade  323 

"  So?  "  I  said.  "  Then  I  really  believe  I  will  try  it 
to-night." 

"  You  may  lose  yourself,  or  be  struck  down  by  the 
knife  of  some  murderous  ladrone"  he  objected. 

"  Not  he,"  reassured  Pike.  "  I  'd  back  him  to  out- 
wrestle  a  panther." 

'  What  is  more,  I  carry  one  of  my  pistols,"  I  added. 
"  So  if,  between  you,  my  guitar  case  will  not  prove 
too  much  of  a  burden  —  " 

"  Sacre! "  muttered  Walker.  "  You  may  fall  into 
trouble." 

"  That 's  my  risk,"  I  replied  with  unaffected  cheer 
fulness,  and  handing  the  guitar  case  to  my  friend,  I 
swung  away  up  a  side  street  before  our  dueno  could 
interpose  further  objections. 

As  I  sped  along  in  the  shadow  of  the  houses,  I  could 
have  leaped  up  and  cracked  my  heels  together  for 
joy.  I  was  alone  and  free  for  the  first  time  since  join 
ing  company  with  the  two  Yutahs  in  the  valley  north 
of  Agua  Caliente.  But  my  coltish  impulse  was  short 
lived.  I  had  not  questioned  and  planned  for  the  last 
hour,  to  caper  about  in  solitary  darkness  now. 

The  street  up  which  I  had  bolted  did  not  lead  in  the 
direction  in  which  I  wished  to  go.  This  was  soon 
mended  by  turning  at  the  first  corner.  The  towers  of 
the  Parroquia,  looming  high  against  the  starlit  sky, 
guided  me  to  the  plaza.  I  then  needed  only  to  skirt 
the  edge  of  the  square  to  come  to  the  street  corner 
upon  which  stood  the  great  mansion  of  Don  Pedro. 

More  than  once  on  my  way  I  had  heard  the  long- 


324  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

drawn  notes  of  serenaders,  and  the  thought  that  there 
might  already  be  one  beneath  my  lady's  balcony  hur 
ried  me  into  a  run.  But  when,  mindful  of  the  counsel 
of  the  complacent  Medina,  I  slipped  into  a  shadowy 
archway  across  from  the  stone  fapade  of  the  Vallois 
mansion,  I  could  hear  no  music  within  two  or  three 
hundred  paces.  This  surprised  me  not  a  little,  and  I 
stood  for  some  moments  wondering  at  it,  for  my 
brief  stay  in  Chihuahua  had  already  confirmed  all  that 
Dona  Dolores  had  written  to  Malgares  as  to  the  great 
popularity  of  Alisanda. 

It  was,  however,  no  time  to  ponder  mysteries. 
Whatever  reasons  her  other  suitors  might  have  for 
staying  away,  I  was  here  to  woo  her,  and  woo  her  I 
would.  I  keyed  my  strings,  and  with  my  gaze  roving 
from'  one  to  the  other  of  the  balconied  windows 
across,  began  to  sing  that  love  ditty  I  had  sung  be 
neath  my  lady's  window  at  Natchez.  The  first  verse 
brought  me  no  response.  Every  balcony  remained 
empty,  every  window  gaped  black  between  its  open 
hangings. 

After  a  short  interval  I  sang  the  second  verse.  But 
though  I  stared  at  the  dim,  ghostly  outlines  of  the 
white  stone  mansion  until  my  eyes  ached,  I  saw  no  sign 
of  my  lady.  It  then  occurred  to  me  that  her  chamber 
might  face  upon  the  side  street.  I  stepped  out  from 
my  dark  archway,  to  walk  around.  But  as  I  crossed 
over  I  could  not  resist  gazing  up  at  the  nearest  bal 
cony  and  whispering  her  dear  name:  "Alisanda! 
Alisanda!  It  is  I  —  John." 


The  Serenade  325 

Almost  instantly  a  little  white  object  darted  out 
over  the  balcony  rail  and  came  fluttering  down 
through  the  limpid  darkness.  I  caught  it  in  the  air, 
and  felt  in  my  closing  palm  a  roll  of  paper  twisted 
through  a  ring.  That  it  was  a  note  and  from  my  lady 
I  had  no  doubts.  But  I  could  not  read  it  here,  and 
my  love  made  me  too  impatient  to  be  able  to  content 
myself  with  this  dumb  favor.  I  thrust  the  missive  into 
my  pocket,  and  called  again:  "Alisanda! —  Ali- 
sanda!  Speak  to  me,  dearest  one!  " 

I  waited  a  full  minute.  But  she  gave  no  sign.  By 
now  I  was  in  desperate  earnestness. 

"Alisanda!"  I  appealed  to  her,  "is  it  for  this  I 
have  come  to  you  all  these  many  leagues?  Speak  to 
me,  dearest !  I  will  not  go  —  I  cannot  —  until  you 
speak  to  me !  " 

This  time  I  did  not  call  in  vain.  A  shadowy  form 
glided  out  the  window  and  bent  over  the  balcony 
rail,  and  the  sweet  notes  of  my  lady's  voice  came  down 
to  me  in  heavenly  music. 

"  Juan!  Juan!  "  she  murmured,  in  tender  distress, 
"  you  must  not  take  this  risk!  You  will  lose  all!  Go 
now,  dear  friend,  before  you  are  discovered.  Go,  read 
what  I  have  written." 

:'  What  is  a  little  risk,  Alisanda,  to  one  who  has 
crossed  the  barrier  to  reach  you? " 

'  You  do  not  know!  The  risk  is  that  you  may  find 
you  have  crossed  the  barrier  in  vain.  There  is  yet  the 
gulf.  Go  quickly !  I  hear  a  step  — some  one  comes ! 
He  is  almost  here !  " 


326  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"But,  dearest  one  — !"  I  protested,  as  she  vanished. 

There  came  a  sound  of  quick  steps  behind  me,  and 
an  angry  voice  muttered  the  fierce  oath,  "  C  arm  jo!  " 

A  man  reared  in  the  wilderness  acquires  the  instinct 
of  the  wild  creatures  to  act  first  and  consider  after 
wards.  I  leaped  away  from  that  angry  voice  before 
the  last  syllable  of  the  oath  hissed  out.  Even  at  that  I 
felt  the  prick  of  a  sword  point  beneath  my  shoulder  as 
I  bounded  away.  The  owner  of  the  voice  had  thrust 
—  and  thrust  to  kill.  As  my  feet  touched  earth  again 
I  had  out  my  pistol;  as  I  spun  about,  I  set  the  hair- 
trigger.  The  glint  of  a  steel  blade  directed  my  gaze 
on  the  instant  to  the  dim  figure  crouching  to  spring 
after  me. 

"  Halt,  senor  assassin!  "  I  commanded.  "  Take  a 
step,  and  I  shoot  you  down  like  a  dog!  " 

"  Peste  I  "  he  cried,  lowering  his  sword  point.  "  It 
is  the  Americano  physician." 

"  And  you  are  Medina!  "  I  muttered  between  my 
hard-set  teeth  — "  Medina,  the  aide-de-camp  and 
bravo  of  Salcedo,  —  Medina  the  assassin." 

"  Peste!  "   he  repeated.    "  It  is  a  lie." 

"  You  had  better  pray  than  swear,"  I  warned  him. 
"  The  trigger  of  my  pistol  is  set.  The  slightest  touch 
of  my  finger,  and  you  go  straight  to  hell." 

"  Santisima  Virgen! "  he  protested,  a  trace  of  con 
cern  beneath  the  continued  anger  of  his  tone.  "  You 
do  not  comprehend." 

"  I  comprehend  that  you,  an  officer  in  the  service  of 
His  Most  Catholic  Majesty,  sought  to  stab  me  in  the 


The  Serenade  327 

back  without  warning.  It  was  vile  —  it  was  cowardly ! 
Can  you  name  a  single  reason  why  I  should  not 
shoot  you? " 

'  You  do  not  comprehend!  "  he  insisted.  "  I  mis 
took  you  for  one  of  those  whom  I  have  warned." 

"  Mistook  me?  "  I  repeated,  catching  at  the  chance 
for  an  explanation.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  think  of  a 
gentleman  and  officer  turned  assassin. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered.  "  I  have  made  this  my  privi 
lege.  Any  man  in  Chihuahua  who  wishes  to  serenade 
Senorita  Vallois  has  my  pledge  that  I  will  kill 
him." 

"  I  am  in  Chihuahua,  and  I  have  serenaded  Senorita 
Vallois,"  I  replied. 

"But  you  did  not  know  of  my  pledge.  I  will  spare 
you  this  time." 

ff  Muchas  gracias,  senor.  Yet  it  seems  to  me  it  is  a 
question  of  my  sparing  you." 

"  In  that  case,  Senor  Robinson  might  do  well  to 
consider  that  His  Excellency,  the  Governor- General, 
would  gladly  welcome  an  excuse  to  garrotte  a  certain 
Americano  spy." 

;<  That  may  be.  Still,  a  sword  prick  in  the  back  is 
fair  evidence  against  a  dead  assassin,  even  in  a  preju 
diced  court." 

"  True.  Then  it  may  be  that  the  Americano  cabal- 
lero  is  sufficiently  gallant  to  consider  the  scandal  of  a 
slaying  beneath  the  window  of  a  senorita  of  his 
acquaintance." 

"  A  scandal  which,  it  seems,  one  Lieutenant  Medina 


328  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

did  not  consider.  For  all  that,  the  argument  is  sound, 
Vayal  "  I  ordered,  lowering  my  pistol. 

"  No!  "  he  rejoined.  "  I  will  not  go  and  leave  you 
here." 

"You  shall!" 

"  Nada! " 

For  a  moment  I  stood  quivering  with  fury,  wild  to 
leap  in,  sword  or  no  sword,  and  strike  him  down  with 
my  bare  fist.  But  he  had  spoken  truth.  A  death,  or 
even  a  loud  quarrel,  beneath  my  lady's  balcony,  would 
draw  upon  her  the  talk  of  all  Chihuahua. 

"You  are  right  in  this,"  I  forced  myself  to  say; 
"  we  owe  it  to  the  lady  not  to  involve  her  in  any  scan 
dal.  You  will  give  me  your  word,  and  I  will  give 
you  mine,  to  start  in  opposite  directions,  and  neither 
return  here  to-night." 

"Agreed!"  he  responded.  "  You  have  my  word 
to  it,  senor  physician." 

"  And  you  mine,"  I  said,  wheeling. 

With  punctilious  precision  he  wheeled  the  other  way 
and  swaggered  up  the  street  as  I  stalked  down.  With 
a  last  glance  at  the  empty  balcony  of  my  lady,  I 
darted  off  across  the  corner  of  the  plaza.  Almost  in 
front  of  Walker's  quarters  I  ran  plump  into  the  midst 
of  a  night  patrol. 

"  Arrest el "  cried  the  officer  in  charge,  and  I 
stopped  short  with  half  a  dozen  lances  at  my  breast. 

"Americano!"  I  exclaimed. 

"  Vaya"  said  the  officer. 

The  lance  points  flew  up.    I  darted  on  through  the 


The  Serenade  329 

gateway  and  around  the  court  to  the  rooms  assigned 
to  Walker.  Our  host  and  Pike  had  retired,  but  old 
Csesar  was  dozing  beside  the  door.  I  sent  him  hob 
bling  to  bed  with  a  few  medios  to  tickle  his  black 
palm,  and  the  moment  he  had  disappeared,  drew  out 
my  precious  missive  in  the  light  of  the  guttering 
candle. 

The  ring  was  a  plain  gold  band  without  any  setting. 
Yet  to  me  it  was  far  more  precious  than  any  seal  or 
gemmed  ring,  for  on  the  inner  side  were  engraved  my 
lady's  initials.  I  kissed  the  band  and  hastily  forced  it 
upon  my  little  finger,  that  I  might  read  my  note  with 
out  further  delay.  Though  the  message  was  written 
in  English,  the  paper  had  been  so  crumpled  that  I  had 
to  smooth  it  out  with  care  before  I  could  decipher  her 
dear  words. 

"  My  Knight,"  it  began,  "  you  have  proved  yourself  a 
true  champion.  There  is  now  no  Barrier  between  us.  I  pray 
the  Blessed  Virgin  that  you  may  also  cross  the  Gulf!  But 
you  still  wear  my  colors.  You  have  not  honored  them  with 
your  faith  and  courage  to  shrink  now  from  the  greater  task ! 
You  should  know,  dear  friend,  that  according  to  the  Spanish 
law  my  uncle,  who  is  my  guardian,  has  the  bestowal  of  my 
hand.  Therefore  be  discreet.  He  will  refuse  your  suit  for 
a  reason  which  I  will  tell  you  another  time.  Talk  as  you 
please.  It  is  the  custom  to  pay  the  ladies  of  my  people  ex 
travagant  compliments.  But  for  a  time  restrain  yourself 
as  to  action,  and  pray  be  prudent  in  what  you  say  about 
political  affairs.  I  fear  for  you!  He  who  is  to  decide  your 
fate  is  in  doubt  as  to  how  far  policy  will  permit  him  to 
venture.  He  would  like  to  execute  you  as  a  spy,  or  at  least 


330  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

fling  you  into  his  dungeon,  but  hesitates  for  fear  the  out 
rage  might  precipitate  war  with  your  Republic.  Such  was 
the  representation  made  to  him  by  my  uncle  and  the  friends 
he  has  interested  in  your  fate.  Therefore  do  not  infuriate 
him  beyond  his  self-control.  Seek  out  Father  Rocus.  He 
is  a  true  gentleman  and  my  friend.  You  have  made  a  good 
impression  upon  him.  He  may  be  able  to  aid  you  to  cross 
the  Gulf  and  avoid  the  danger  which  besets  you.  Then  it  will 
be  for  me  to  overcome  the  objections  of  my  uncle.  Now 
farewell.  God  preserve  you,  dear  Knight !  I  press  my  lips 
to  that  name,  for  you  have  earned  the  salute  many  times  over. 
Au  revoir,  my  Knight ! " 


CHAPTER   XXV 

A   VICTORY 

DELIGHTED  as  I  should  have  been,  and  was, 
to  receive  such  a  missive  from  my  lady,  its 
effect  was  to  rouse  in  me  all  the  greater  longing  to 
see  her  and  win  from  her  dear  lips  the  admission  that 
she  loved  me.  In  this  thought  I  now  forgot  all  else. 
Even  the  demand  of  patriotism  that  I  should  exert 
every  effort  on  behalf  of  my  country  found  me  deaf. 
I  stilled  my  conscience  with  the  argument  that  if  I, 
the  accredited  spy,  should  devote  my  whole  effort  to 
a  personal  affair,  it  would  tend  to  divert  attention 
from  the  splendid  work  of  Pike.  Every  day  saw  im 
portant  additions  to  his  notes  and  memoranda,  and 
he  had  already  hit  upon  the  ingenious  plan  of  securing 
the  notes  in  tight  rolls  inside  waxed  wrappings  and 
packing  them  down  into  the  barrel  of  one  of  the  mus 
kets  of  the  men,  who  were  quartered  in  the  same  build 
ing  as  ourselves.  As  the  gun's  muzzle  was  of  course 
kept  plugged  with  its  tampion,  there  was  no  danger  of 
discovery,  and  with  five  more  barrels  to  fill,  we  felt 
that  whenever  the  Cover  nor- General  chose  to  re 
lease  the  Lieutenant  and  his  men,  they  would  be  able 
to  march  out  of  the  territories  of  His  Most  Catholic 
Majesty  fairly  loaded  with  information  against  the 
tyrant. 


332  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

So,  casting  aside  every  thought  of  duty,  I  allowed 
my  mind  to  dwell  constantly  upon  my  wooing,  and, 
frivolous  as  it  may  appear,  was  more  concerned  over 
our  visit  to  the  tailor  than  to  the  magnificent  hospital 
in  the  old  Jesuit  edifices  on  the  west  side  of  Chihuahua. 
That  institution  of  healing  was  finely  situated  and 
furnished.  But  when  I  ventured  to  suggest  an  im 
provement  upon  some  of  the  antiquated  and  barbar 
ous  methods  of  treatment,  I  met  with  such  a  heat  of 
jealous  prejudice  from  the  clerical  physicians  that  I 
was  forced  to  silence. 

Returning  to  the  plaza,  we  were  agreeably  sur 
prised  to  find  our  little  French  tailor  most  modern 
not  only  in  his  knowledge  of  the  modes  but  also  in  the 
quickness  of  his  work.  He  and  his  assistants  had  al 
ready  completed  our  suits.  As  the  following  day  was 
a  Sunday,  it  was  particularly  gratifying  to  find  our 
selves  becomingly  costumed  for  genteel  society. 

Pike  and  our  host  slept  late  in  the  morning,  but  I 
had  given  old  Csesar  orders  to  rouse  me  early.  Don 
ning  my  new  garments,  I  slipped  out  and  hastened 
across  the  plaza  toward  the  Parroquia.  The  bell  was 
already  intoning  for  mass,  and  I  passed  numbers  of 
rebozo-shrouded  women  streaming  churchward.  With 
my  Anglo-American  eyes  and  complexion  I  suppose 
I  presented  rather  a  striking  figure  among  these 
people,  who  are  so  very  rarely  other  than  brunette,  — 
though  it  may  be  I  attracted  more  attention  because  of 
the  fact  that  few  other  men  had  sallied  out  so  early  to 
attend  mass. 


A  Victory  333 

Whatever  the  cause,  I  received  enough  smiles  and 
alluring  glances  from  pretty  senoritas  and,  I  fear, 
senoras,  to  have  quite  turned  my  head,  had  I  not  been 
far  too  intent  upon  the  hope  of  seeing  my  lady  to  heed 
these  charming  coquettes.  What  I  did  heed,  however, 
was  the  fact  that  the  prettier  the  girl,  the  more  jeal 
ously  guarded  was  she  by  a  keen-eyed  duenna.  What 
hope  had  I  of  a  word  apart  with  Alisanda  if  she  came 
in  company  with  Dona  Marguerite? 

Between  the  thought  of  this  and  the  need  to  scan  the 
scores  of  approaching  ladies,  I  was  not  in  a  favorable 
frame  of  mind  to  appreciate  the  grandeur  and  beauty 
of  the  Parroquia.  Yet  so  splendid  were  the  two  pil 
lared  towers,  which  reared  against  the  sapphire  sky 
a  full  hundred  feet  above  the  front  corners  of  the  high 
edifice,  and  so  ornate  was  the  white  stone  fapade  with 
its  carvings  and  numerous  statues  of  saints,  that  even 
my  brief  and  preoccupied  glances  brought  me  a  strong 
consciousness  of  the  church's  magnificence.  I  even 
looked  twice  at  the  carvings  of  the  great  round-arched 
entrance,  so  different  in  design  from  the  pointed  style 
of  our  Gothic  ecclesiastical  architecture. 

That  was  as  far  as  my  observations  went  at  the  time, 
for  as  I  again  glanced  out,  I  saw  approaching  among 
the  throng  of  Moorishly  draped  figures  one  so  tall 
and  graceful  that  I  knew  her  on  the  instant.  I  sprang 
from  the  entrance  to  meet  her,  but  checked  myself  at 
the  thought  that  it  would  be  as  well  first  to  see  who 
it  was  that  accompanied  her. 

Alisanda  wore  her  black  lace  mantilla,  her  compan- 


334  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

ion  a  rebozo  of  finest  silk,  and  both  walked  with  heads 
reverently  bowed.  Yet  I  needed  no  second  glance  to 
feel  assured  that  the  duenna  had  not  so  portly  a  figure 
as  that  of  Senora  Vallois.  If  not  Dona  Marguerite, 
who  then? 

I  was  not  long  kept  waiting  for  my  answer.  Stand 
ing  with  my  stiff  hat  in  hand,  I  looked  eagerly  for  a 
sign  of  recognition  from  my  lady.  She  did  not  so 
much  as  raise  her  head.  But  her  companion  straight 
ened  a  little  and  parted  a  fold  of  her  rebozo  to  bestow 
on  me  the  mischievous  flash  of  a  sparkling  eye.  It 
was  hardly  the  glance  of  an  instant,  yet  it  left  me 
pleased  and  wondering  why  I  had  not  at  once  recog 
nized  that  plump,  petite  figure.  The  duenna  I  had  so 
feared  was  none  other  than  the  wife  of  my  friend 
Malgares,  Dona  Dolores.  What  was  more,  her  look 
gave  me  the  impression  that  she  knew  all,  and,  with  the 
national  love  of  intrigue,  if  not  because  of  friendship 
for  Alisanda,  would  aid  us  in  our  plans. 

Vastly  relieved  at  this  discovery,  I  followed  them 
at  a  respectful  distance  into  the  lofty  domed  interior 
of  the  Parroquia.  As  my  eyes  were  fixed  upon  my 
lady,  that  I  might  not  lose  her  in  the  throng  which 
moved  up  the  centre  of  the  stone-flagged  nave,  I 
gathered  at  first  only  the  vaguest  of  impressions  with 
regard  to  the  church's  interior.  But  when  she  and 
Dona  Dolores  piously  knelt  upon  the  hard  flagstones, 
in  the  midst  of  the  peon  women  and  the  filthy  beggars, 
I  could  not  resist  the  impulse  to  look  up  and  around. 

At  once,  in  place  of  the  vague  impression  of  magni- 


A  Victory  335 

ficence,  there  burst  upon  my  vision  a  glory  of  orna 
mentation  almost  dazzling.  In  all  the  Republic  we 
have  no  church  or  other  edifice  to  approach  the  Parro- 
quia  of  Chihuahua  in  richness  and  splendor  of  orna 
mentation.  The  windows  were  filled  with  pictures  of 
saints  and  angels  wrought  in  stained  glass,  which  cast 
over  all  a  rich  coloring  well  in  keeping  with  the  gold- 
and-silver-bedecked  altar,  the  brass  screens  and  rail 
ings,  the  silver  candelabra,  and  the  brightly  colored 
and  gilded  images  and  pictures  and  crucifixes  on  the 
walls. 

Add  to  this  splendor  of  decoration  the  rich  vest 
ments  of  the  officiating  priests,  the  incense  and  wax 
tapers,  and  the  solemn  service  of  music  and  prayer, 
—  and  the  effect  was  one  to  impress  the  most  frivolous 
of  believers  in  the  Romish  faith. 

Yet  as  I  stood  beside  one  of  the  carved  pillars  and 
watched  the  devout  bendings  and  prayers  of  Ali- 
sanda,  I  could  not  but  compare  her  real  worship  with 
the  formal  movements  and  parrot-like  invocations  of 
those  about  her.  Her  religion  was  of  the  heart ;  theirs 
mere  outward  display.  So  at  least  I  surmised  from 
the  manner  in  which,  between  times,  they  whispered 
and  nibbled  at  dulces,  and  stared  about  at  one  another. 
Of  course  Alisanda  and  her  friend  were  not  alone  in 
their  real  devotion,  but  I  speak  of  the  crowd. 

I  followed  the  service  as  closely  as  the  different  ac 
centing  and  pronunciation  of  the  Latin  by  Spanish 
tongues  permitted.  In  justice  to  Alisanda,  it  was  my 
duty  to  learn  all  I  could  with  regard  to  her  religion. 


336  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

I  felt  an  added  interest  from  the  fact  that  the  fore 
most  of  the  priests  was  none  other  than  Father 
Rocus. 

Yet  the  closing  of  the  ceremonies  came  as  a  vast  re 
lief  to  me.  When  for  the  last  time  the  congregation 
crossed  themselves  and  rose  to  leave,  I  leaned  against 
my  pillar  and  watched  them  pass  out  with  as  idle  and 
careless  a  gaze  as  I  could  assume.  All  the  time  I  kept 
the  mantilla  upon  Alisanda's  gracefully  bowed  head 
within  the  rim  of  my  circle  of  vision.  But  I  was  cer 
tain  she  never  once  cast  a  glance  in  my  direction,  nor 
did  Dona  Dolores. 

Untrained  as  I  was  in  the  intricacies  of  Spanish 
courtship,  I  might  have  been  discouraged  had  I  not 
observed  that  in  their  advance  toward  the  exit  the  two 
were  drifting,  so  to  speak,  sideways.  This  brought 
them  angling  through  the  crowd  toward  my  pillar. 
Senora  Malgares  was  on  the  nearer  side,  and  I  fancied 
it  was  her  purpose  to  speak  to  me.  Instead,  they  both 
swept  by  without  so  much  as  a  glance. 

Only,  as  she  passed,  the  senora  raised  an  arm  be 
neath  her  rebozo  as  though  to  adjust  its  folds,  and  the 
fringed  edge  swept  over  my  hat,  which  I  was  holding 
at  my  hip.  A  slight  tug  at  its  brim  induced  me  to  look 
down,  after  a  moment's  prudent  wait.  Within  the 
hat's  crown  lay  a  scrap  of  paper  upon  which  was 
written,  in  French,  the  single  word,  "  Follow." 

My  height  and  dress,  and  the  fact  that  I  was  one 
of  the  Americanos  about  whom  the  city  was  so  curious, 
made  me  a  marked  man  in  the  crowd.  But  if  any 


A  Victory  337 

among  the  hundreds  of  interested  eyes  that  followed 
my  movements  had  for  owners  some  who  suspected 
the  purpose  of  my  visit  to  the  church,  I  flatter  my 
self  the  sharpest  were  unable  to  distinguish  which  one 
of  the  ladies  it  was  I  followed  into  the  open.  To  divert 
attention  I  glanced  about  at  the  peeping  senoritas 
with  feigned  interest,  until  one  angel-faced  little  co 
quette  who  could  not  yet  have  seen  her  sixteenth 
springtime  fairly  stared  me  out  of  countenance. 

Once  in  the  plaza,  I  had  more  room  to  manoeuvre, 
and  started  off  at  an  angle  to  the  course  taken  by  Ali- 
sanda  and  her  friend.  To  my  chagrin  I  was  at  once 
surrounded  by  a  tattered  crowd  of  filthy  leprosos,  who 
exposed  their  sores  and  whined  dolefully  for  alms.  I 
flung  them  the  few  coppers  I  chanced  to  have  with 
me,  but  that  served  only  to  whet  the  edge  of  their  per 
sistent  begging.  Suddenly  I  remembered  that  Don 
Pedro  had  given  me  the  Spanish  method  for  relieving 
oneself  from  these  cdballeros  de  Dios. 

"  Gentlemen,"  I  addressed  them  in  my  best  Span 
ish,  "  for  God's  sake,  excuse  me  this  time." 

Even  a  few  drops  of  Spanish  blood  carries  with  it 
appreciation  of  ceremonious  courtesy.  My  words 
and  the  bow  with  which  I  accompanied  them  acted  like 
magic  upon  the  clamoring  rabble.  All  alike  bowed  in 
response,  with  a  great  flourishing  of  greasy,  tattered 
sombreros,  and  all  alike  stepped  politely  aside  for  me 
to  pass. 

The  delay  had  given  Alisanda  and  Dona  Dolores 
several  yards'  start  of  me,  but  they  were  now  saunter- 


22 


338  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

ing  so  slowly  that  nearly  all  the  members  of  the  con 
gregation  who  had  turned  in  the  same  direction  had 
gone  by  them.  I  followed  several  paces  behind  the 
last  chattering,  giggling  group.  As  they  passed 
Dona  Dolores  she  dropped  her  rosary.  This  I  judged 
was  intended  as  a  signal  for  me  to  join  them.  I 
picked  up  the  string  of  polished  beads,  and  hastened 
forward  beside  their  owner. 

"  Pardon  me,  madame,"  I  said  in  French,  holding 
out  the  rosary,  "  you  dropped  your  necklace." 

"  Santisima  Virgen! "  she  exclaimed  in  mock  sur 
prise.  "  They  are  indeed  my  beads.  Maria  purisima! 
it  is  Senor  Robinson!  How  fortunate  that  you  should 
have  chanced  to  find  them  for  me,  senor!  " 

I  gave  no  heed  to  this  mischievous  raillery,  for  I  was 
gazing  across  into  the  tender  eyes  of  Alisanda.  I 
started  to  go  around  beside  her. 

"  Nada!  "  forbade  Dona  Dolores.  "  Not  so  fast, 
senor.  I  am  the  duenna,  and  I  have  very  sharp  eyes. 
So  also  have  others  who  are  walking  in  the  plaza.  You 
have  chanced  to  find  my  beads,-  and  are  escorting  me 
to  the  house  of  Senor  Vallois,  where  your  friend,  my 
husband,  is  to  join  me  at  breakfast.  Please  do  not  for 
get  that  you  are  escorting  me.  If  you  choose  to  pay 
compliments  to  my  companion,  and  I  am  too  deaf  to 
hear  anything  that  is  said,  who  can  blame  me?  Be 
sides,  you  know  I  do  not  understand  English." 

"  Sefiora,  you  are  an  angel! "   I  exclaimed. 

"  Santa  Maria!  but  that  is  the  truth,"  she  mocked. 
"  Yet  do  not  tell  it  to  me  when  she  is  in  hearing." 


A  Victory  339 

"Dolores!  Is  this  a  time  for  jests?"  murmured 
Alisanda.  The  senora  fell  to  counting  her  beads,  with 
the  most  pious  of  expressions.  My  lady  addressed  me 
in  English:  "  Dolores  knows  all,  Juan.  But  it  will  be 
easier  for  you  to  talk  in  English,  and  she  will  not  have 
to  strain  her  conscience  when  she  next  goes  to  confes 
sion.  Juan,  it  was  rash  to  force  this  meeting." 

"Forgive  me,  dearest  one!  But  I  could  wait  no 
longer.  The  interruption  of  our  last  meeting  —  " 

"  Santa  Firgen!  that  terrible  aide!  I  was  stricken 
dumb  with  terror  when  he  lunged  at  you  —  from  the 
rear!  The  coward! " 

"  You  saw  it?  " 

"All!  all!  Juan,  dear  friend,  you  must  guard 
yourself  —  you  must  be  careful!  That  savage  Anda- 
lusian !  I  heard  all  you  said  —  how  you  spared  him, 
that  I  might  escape  the  scandal  of  a  duel  beneath  my 
window.  Has  he  challenged  you?  " 

"  Not  yet." 

"Not  yet!  But  he  will  —  he  will !  Do  not  fight  him 
with  swords,  Juan.  You  told  me  once  that  you  were 
not  a  swordsman.  He  is  the  most  expert  fencer  in  all 
these  provinces." 

"  If  he  is  a  master,  I  have  a  better  chance  against 
him  as  it  is  than  if  I  were  an  average  swordsman.  He 
will  at  least  not  know  what  I  am  going  to  do,  as  he 
would  know  with  one  who  fenced  according  to  rules." 

"  But  he  will  kill  you !  No,  do  not  fight  him  with 
swords,  Juan.  Let  him  challenge  you,  and  be  sure 
you  name  pistols." 


340  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  Would  you  have  me  murder  the  man?  "  I  pro 
tested. 

"  You  need  not  shoot  to  kill." 

"  That  is  true.  But,  dearest,  let  us  speak  of  more 
important  matters.  You  have  not  yet  told  me  —  " 

"  I  wrote  of  your  danger  from  His  Excellency, 
Juan.  Be  prudent.  Make  as  few  enemies  as  you  can. 
You  have  many  friends." 

"  Walker  has  intimated  that  I  shall  gain  more 
friends  if  I  tame  this  Andalusian  bull." 

"  Nada!  If  the  swashbuckler  challenges,  you  must 
fight,  Juan.  I  know  that.  But  do  not  force  the 
matter  yourself.  He  stands  high  in  the  favor  of  His 
Excellency." 

"  Alisanda,"  I  replied,  "  you,  like  all  others  here, 
are  far  too  much  in  fear  of  this  tyrant  Governor- 
General.  But  rest  assured  Lieutenant  Pike  and  I 
comprehend  the  man  and  the  situation.  Should  we 
show  the  slightest  sign  of  weakness,  I  at  least  will  at 
once  be  flung  into  prison,  if  not  garrotted.  The  only 
course  which  will  avert  the  blow  is  for  us  to  show  a 
bold  front." 

"  Yet  a  little  diplomacy  —  " 

"  Trust  Lieutenant  Pike  to  attend  to  the  diplomacy. 
In  his  direct  communications  with  Salcedo,  he  will 
flourish  the  steel  blade  in  a  velvet  sheath.  Aside  from 
that,  we  have  decided  that  the  bolder  our  talk  and 
bearing  the  better." 

"  Yet  consider  his  absolute  power  —  I  fear  for 
you,  Juan! " 


A  Victory  341 

"  What  odds  of  the  danger,  if  I  have  your  love  — 
Alisanda?  " 

A  quick  blush  leaped  into  her  pale  cheeks,  and  she 
looked  down,  in  sweet  confusion. 

"  No,  no,  dear  friend,"  she  murmured.  "Do  not 
speak  of  that  now.  It  would  be  too  cruel,  if  later  — 
Juan,  you  must  see  Father  Rocus!  " 

"  At  once!  "   I  assented. 

"  Go,  then,  now!  You  will  find  him  at  the  Parro- 
quia" 

"  But  first,  dearest  one  —  " 

"  No,  no !  Go  at  once.  We  approach  my  uncle's 
house,  and  it  is  as  well  he  should  not  see  you." 

"  Then,  if  you  bid  me  go,  au  revoir!  "  I  said,  stop 
ping  short. 

She  gave  me  a  lingering  glance  which  told  all  that 
her  lips  refused  to  speak.  Dona  Dolores  dropped  her 
beads  and  looked  up  at  me  with  one  of  her  bright, 
mischievous  glances. 

"Santa  Maria!  but  you  do  not  leave  us,  senor? 
You  have  been  so  entertaining!  " 

"  And  you,  senora,  —  I  could  not  have  asked  for  a 
kinder  duenna." 

She  muffled  a  peal  of  girlish  laughter  beneath  the 
folds  of  her  rebozo,  and  hurried  Alisanda  away,  fear 
ful,  I  suppose,  that  we  had  attracted  too  much  atten 
tion.  I  wheeled  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  returned 
to  the  Parroquia.  Aside  from  a  few  women  kneeling 
here  and  there  before  the  wall  shrines,  the  great  church 
was  now  empty.  But  a  young  acolyte  who  came  in  to 


342  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

arrange  the  altar  very  courteously  directed  me  to  the 
parsonage,  where,  he  said,  I  should  find  Father  Hocus. 

When  I  announced  my  name  at  the  entrance,  the 
gate  porter  at  once  admitted  me,  and  rang  a  little  bell. 
In  a  moment  who  should  appear  but  Chita,  my  lady's 
Spanish  maid.  She  courtesied  and  motioned  me  to 
follow  her,  without  betraying  the  slightest  sign  of 
recognition.  But  the  moment  we  were  out  of  sight  of 
the  porter,  she  paused  to  whisper : 

"  Tsst!  Say  nothing.  They  have  sent  me  here  that 
I  might  not  aid  her  to  see  you  or  write  to  you.  They 
do  not  know  that  the  padre  is  a  friend.  It  is  as  well 
that  he  even  does  not  know  how  greatly  I  wish  to  aid 
you.  Senor,  you  are  a  caballero  and  a  man,  and  she 
loves  you.  It  is  right  that  you  should  have  her,  though 
you  be  twice  over  a  heretico.  But  she  will  not  wed 
unless  the  padre  gives  his  blessing.  It  is  true  love 
between  you.  If  you  cannot  be  a  Christian,  make  pre 
tence.  For  her  sake,  bow  to  the  holy  images  and  cross 
yourself.  Deceive  the  padre  —  for  her  sake!  " 

"  No,  Chita,"  I  replied.  "  A  caballero  may  lie  to 
save  a  lady's  good  name,  but  not  to  win  her." 

"  Peste!    Then  you  will  lose  her!  " 

"  We  shall  see.    Lead  me  in." 

She  took  me  into  a  cosey  library,  where  I  found 
Father  Hocus  seated  in  a  huge  easy-chair,  one  foot 
cushioned  upon  a  stool,  a  glass  and  decanter  at  his 
elbow,  and  a  book  of  philosophy  in  his  jewelled,  white 
hand. 

ff Hola,  Don  Juan!"   he  called   at  sight   of  me. 


A  Victory  343 

"  You  come  in  good  season.  Be  seated  on  the  saddle- 
chair.  It  will  save  your  new  coat-tails  a  creasing.  I 
will  not  rise.  A  touch  of  the  gout,  as  you  see,  —  the 
first  in  months." 

"  Too  much  port,"  I  suggested,  swinging  astride 
the  narrow  chair  of  carved  mahogany.  "  Better  take 
to  sour  claret  for  a  while." 

"Nada!  not  while  I  can  bear  the  pain.  I  might  pass 
for  an  English  squire  —  I  cannot  forego  the  port." 

"  I  will  write  you  a  prescription  that  will  ease  the 
pain.  Nothing  will  cure  you  but  abstinence." 

He  drew  a  wry  face  between  his  smiles.  "  Then  I 
fear  my  case  is  hopeless.  I  am  far  from  being  a  true 
Spaniard.  —  Chita,  a  glass  for  Senor  Robinson." 

The  woman  fetched  and  filled  a  glass  while  I  drew 
my  chair  up  to  the  marble-topped  table-desk  and 
scribbled  a  prescription.  Father  Hocus  signed  her  to 
go  out,  and  turned  to  me,  still  smiling,  but  with  a 
sharpened  glance. 

"So  you  have  already  followed  my  advice  and  come 
to  mass,"  he  said. 

"  Your  Reverence  has  a  keen  eye,"  I  replied.  "  It 
seemed  to  me  I  kept  close  behind  my  pillar." 

"  Men  are  not  numerous  at  early  mass.  Brawny, 
six-foot  cdballeros  in  European  dress  are  not  seen 
every  week.  Lastly,  this  one  has  blonde  hair.  A 
glimpse  was  enough  and  to  spare.  You  talked  with 
her? " 

"  She  has  sent  me  to  you." 

"  Hum,"  he  considered.    "  First  of  all,  this  Medina 


344  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

affair.  Let  him  do  the  challenging.  She  says  you 
do  not  fence.  'T  would  be  butchery  for  you  to  meet 
him  with  swords." 

"  That  is  a  small  matter,  padre.  What  I  wish  to 
know  —  " 

"  Is  whether  you  can  conscientiously  become  a 
Christian,"  he  put  in. 

"  No,  padre.  That  is  not  the  question.  It  is  of  no 
use  for  me  to  hedge.  I  know  I  cannot  become  what 
you  call  a  Christian.  My  religious  principles  are 
too  near  those  of  our  famous  President,  Thomas 
Jefferson." 

"Jefferson  —  that  atheist! "  he  exclaimed,  frowning. 

"  Not  so,  padre,"  I  insisted  with  much  earnestness. 
"  It  is  an  injustice  to  term  Mr.  Jefferson  an  atheist." 

"  And  you?  "  he  demanded. 

"  Your  Reverence,  I  differ  from  most  men  of  the 
age  in  this:  I  am  content  to  leave  creeds  and  cere 
monies  to  the  theologians ;  to  walk  as  upright  a  life  as 
lies  within  my  power ;  and  to  trust  in  the  great  Author 
of  all  to  judge  my  deeds  with  the  clemency  of  a  father 
for  his  child." 

"  You  do  not  acknowledge  God's  vicar?  " 

"  I  have  not  the  faith  which  enables  me  to  believe 
your  dogmas.  It  is  no  use  to  argue,  padre.  I  am  al 
ready  sufficiently  informed  to  know  that  a  man  of  my 
refractory  mentality  cannot  accept  many  of  the  funda 
mentals  of  your  faith,  —  and  I  will  not  make  false 
pretence  by  complying  with  the  outward  form." 

Instead  of  flushing  with  anger,  as  I  had  expected, 


A  Victory  345 

he  looked  grieved.  It  was  apparent  that  my  position 
was  a  bitter  disappointment  to  him.  For  several  min 
utes  he  sat  gazing  at  the  crucifix  on  the  wall  across,  in 
sorrowful  meditation,  forgetful  even  of  his  wine. 

"  Padre,"  I  at  last  said.  "  I  love  her  with  a  love 
that  dwells  much  upon  my  own  happiness,  but  more 
upon  hers.  I  now  know  she  loves  me.  Do  you  not 
think  such  love  God's  will?  " 

He  crossed  himself.  "  God  give  me  light!  I  am 
not  among  those  who  believe  that  the  love  of  man  and 
woman  is  of  necessity  an  impure  desire.  God,  not 
Satan,  made  Eve  to  be  a  companion  unto  Adam. 
Therefore  true  love  is  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  God,  and 
marriage  a  sacrament." 

"  In  effect,  if  not  in  form,  Your  Reverence,  that  is 
the  belief  and  practice  of  my  people.  With  us  a  wife 
is  the  dear  life  companion  who  shares  our  triumphs 
and  our  defeats,  our  joys  and  sorrows,  who  brightens 
our  pleasures,  purifies  and  ennobles  our  impulses,  and 
inspires  us  with  the  highest  aspirations." 

"  Such,  alas!  is  not  the  attitude  of  my  people 
toward  women,"  he  sighed.  "  Yet  to  give  a  daughter 
of  the  Church  to  a  heretic !  Santisima  Fir  gen!  It  is  a 
knotty  problem." 

"  To  me,  or  to  such  a  man  as  Medina,"  I  argued  — 
"  which  would  be  the  greater  sin?  " 

"  Her  uncle  is  set  upon  giving  her,  not  to  Medina, 
but  to  one  as  bad  —  one  as  bad!  "  he  repeated.  "  My 
son  —  my  son!  if  you  could  but  become  a  Christian!  " 

"  God  gave  me  my  reason,  padre.    If  it  is  wrong  to 


346  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

use  my  reason  as  I  use  it,  I  trust  that  He  will  forgive 
the  error." 

"  You  are  a  true,  clean  man,  and  you  love  her  as  no 
man  in  New  Spain  can  love  her." 

"  I  do,  padre." 

"  Yet  it  is  against  the  canons  of  Holy  Church  —  to 
give  a  true  believer  to  an  outright  heretic!  " 

"  She  should  be  free  to  believe  and  practise  her  re 
ligion  without  change,"  I  argued. 

"  True,  but  the  children?  "  he  demanded.  "  How 
as  to  the  children?  " 

The  wine  spilled  from  my  upraised  glass,  and  I 
bent  my  head  quickly  aside  to  hide  the  strange  emotion 
which  overcame  me.  Children!  Never  had  my 
thoughts  dared  roam  so  far  into  the  future.  Children 
—  my  children  and  hers !  From  the  depths  of  my  heart 
there  gushed  up  such  a  flood  of  tenderness  and  ador 
ation  that  I  could  not  speak. 

Despite  his  gouty  toe,  he  came  around  before  me, 
and  with  a  finger  beneath  my  chin,  raised  my  head 
until  he  could  look  down  into  my  eyes.  Whether  or 
not  he  read  my  thoughts  I  do  not  know.  But  I  do 
know  that  he  raised  his  hands  above  me  and  gave  me 
his  benediction. 

"  Padre,"  I  murmured  as  he  drew  back  a  little  way, 
"  believe  me,  if  I  could  do  what  you  wish  —  " 

"  Swear  that  your  children  shall  be  raised  in  the 
Church,"  he  demanded. 

"  I  cannot  swear  that,  padre.  It  would  be  against 
my  conscience." 


A  Victory  347 

"  Your  word  is  enough." 

"  Nor  that.  But  if  this  will  satisfy  you,  I  give  you 
my  word  that  she  shall  decide  upon  the  rearing  of  — 
of  our  children  throughout  childhood." 

"Good!"  he  exclaimed,  again  all  smiles.  "You 
have  won  me  over,  my  son.  Let  us  hope  I  may  aid 
you  to  overcome  your  graver  difficulties." 

"  Her  uncle  —  Don  Pedro?  "  I  asked. 

"  Beyond  hope,  I  fear,  Juan.  Yet  I  will  try. 
For  the  present  we  must  avoid  that  problem,  and 
bend  every  effort  to  mollify  one  who  sits  in  a  high 
place." 

"  Outface,  not  mollify,"  I  returned.  "  Lieutenant 
Pike  and  myself  are  resolved  to  show  him  how  fully  we 
rely  upon  our  country  to  defend,  and,  if  need  be,  to 
revenge  us.  We  have  already  pointed  out  to  those 
who  will  bear  our  words  to  His  Excellency  the  fact 
that  the  Floridas  are  within  easy  striking  distance 
of  our  turbulent  frontiersmen." 

"  For  Dios!  You  dared  send  such  a  message  to 
Salcedo?" 

"  You  may  call  it  a  message.  We  spoke  in  the 
presence  of  Lieutenant  Walker.  Nor  is  it  the  only 
one.  Since  the  first,  we  have  been  loading  him  with 
similar  information." 

"  Yet  Salcedo  has  not  incarcerated  you?  Poder  de 
Dios!  It  is  a  miracle !  " 

"  Rather,  it  is  merely  that  we  have  outfaced  him." 

"  God  gave  you  the  wisdom  to  be  bold!  Yet  the 
danger  is  by  no  means  past.  He  may  free  your  com- 


348  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

panions,  but  detain  you  for  years,  as  he  has  detained 
the  men  of  Captain  Nolan." 

"  I  could  fancy  a  harsher  fate,  padre.  To  remain 
a  prisoner,  yet  have  Alisanda  to  comfort  my  cap 
tivity  —  " 

He  raised  his  hand  warningly  at  the  sound  of  san 
dalled  feet  scraping  along  the  brick  pavement  of  the 
corridor. 

"  Let  us  hope  for  the  best,  my  son.  Go  now,  and 
God  be  with  you!  " 

I  thanked  him  with  a  glance,  and  hastened  out  past 
the  withered  old  priest  who  was  shuffling  across  the 
threshold. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

A   DEFEAT 

THAT  afternoon,  immediately  after  the  siesta, 
Pike  and  I  received  the  first  fruits  of  our  course 
of  action  with  regard  to  the  Government.  Malgares 
came  to  us  from  His  Excellency,  bearing  a  most 
urbane  and  ceremonious  message.  The  Governor- 
General  expressed  himself  as  more  than  pleased  to 
supply  us  with  the  official  loan  for  which  Pike  had  ap 
plied,  and  offered  to  render  us  any  and  all  other 
service  which  lay  within  his  power.  Pike  returned 
mellifluous  thanks,  while  I  looked  at  Walker  and 
smiled. 

In  the  evening  we  accompanied  Malgares  to  the 
south  border  of  the  town,  where  we  found  a  delightful 
promenade  beneath  the  intertwining  boughs  of  a  triple 
row  of  fine  trees.  Here  gathered  the  society  of  Chi 
huahua,  to  loll  in  the  many  seats  or  saunter  to  and  fro, 
the  gentlemen  with  their  cigarros,  the  ladies  with  their 
fans,  and  few  of  either  sex  indisposed  toward  an  ex 
change  of  ardent  glances.  All  displayed  the  utmost 
graciousness  toward  the  Americano  guests  of  the 
Government,  and,  as  usual,  we  found  ourselves  highly 
entertained. 


350  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Among  the  ladies  were  Senora  Vallois  and  Sefiora 
Malgares,  and  I  was  pleased  that  Pike  was  intro 
duced  to  them  by  their  husbands.  We  met  many  other 
ladies,  but,  with  one  exception,  there  was  none  other 
than  Senora  Vallois  whose  husband  was  sufficiently 
free  from  the  old  Moorish  ideas  about  women  to  per 
mit  his  wife  to  keep  a  salon.  Needless  to  say,  this 
gave  me  little  concern.  I  was  far  too  disappointed 
over  the  absence  of  Alisanda. 

When  Don  Pedro  introduced  Pike,  I  asked  Dona 
Marguerite  if  my  friend  might  not  have  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  her  niece.  She  replied,  in  a  most  gracious 
tone,  that  he  should  meet  her  as  soon  as  we  called, 
but  that  this  evening  the  senorita  was  indisposed  and 
would  not  be  present.  A  little  later,  when  the  com 
pany  assembled  in  the  circular  seat  at  the  end  of  the 
promenade,  Dona  Dolores  found  an  opportunity  to 
slip  me  a  note. 

With  the  missive  in  my  pocket  I  could  not  enjoy 
the  voluptuous  love  songs  which  the  company  sang 
in  solo  and  chorus.  I  slipped  away,  in  the  midst, 
while  Medina  was  airing  his  really  fine  tenor.  A 
torch  at  the  first  gateway  gave  me  light  to  read  my 
lady's  note.  It  was  short,  but,  alas!  too  much  to 
the  point :  — 

"  We  were  seen  in  the  plaza.  They  are  not  angry,  but  are 
rosolved  to  keep  us  apart.  To  save  myself  the  shame  of  lock 
and  key,  I  have  promised  not  to  see  you  for  a  week.  Be 
patient,  for  I  must  keep  my  word,  and  our  friends  are  not 
idle." 


A  Defeat  351 

That  was  all,  but  it  was  enough  to  fill  me  with 
bitter  disappointment.  That  she  would  keep  her  word 
with  scrupulous  honor  I  had  not  the  slightest  doubt. 
Yet  how  was  I  to  endure  a  week  without  so  much  as 
a  glimpse  of  her? 

Nevertheless  we  often  suffer  burdens  which  at  first 
seem  unbearable,  and  I  was  strengthened  to  play  a 
good  part  by  the  knowledge  that  my  words  and  man 
ner  would  be  reported  upon  in  detail  to  Don  Pedro 
and  Dona  Marguerite.  To  mislead  them  with  regard 
to  the  depth  and  resolution  of  my  passion,  I  man 
aged  to  go  about  to  our  many  dinners  and  calls  with 
a  smiling  face  and  merry  words. 

During  the  week  we  again  dined  with  Salcedo, 
who  this  time  was  hardly  less  urbane  to  myself  than 
to  the  Lieutenant.  We  both,  however,  received 
greater  enjoyment  from  our  dinner  at  the  house  of 
Colonel  Mayron,  the  father-in-law  of  Malgares. 
There  was  present  an  officer  from  the  Province  of 
Texas  who  was  able  to  give  us  many  correct  details 
as  to  the  fiasco  of  Colonel  Burr. 

Among  other  things,  we  now  learned  that  the 
Colonel  had  been  arrested  at  Bayou  Pierre  in  mid 
January,  but  had  been  released  because  of  the  failure 
of  the  grand  jury  to  bring  in  a  true  bill  against  him. 
Later  he  had  fled  through  the  Cherokee  nation  toward 
the  Spanish  port  of  Mobile.  But  it  was  rumored  that 
he  had  been  captured  in  Alabama  during  February, 
and  was  to  be  taken  to  Richmond,  Virginia,  for  trial. 
This  news  from  home  in  part  consoled  me  for  the  fact 


352  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

that  Dona  Dolores  had  no  missive  for  me  from 
Alisanda. 

We  returned  to  Walker's  quarters,  and  were  still 
discussing  Burr,  when,  soon  after  the  siesta,  Malgares 
called  by  for  us  in  his  coach.  We  drove  around  past 
several  points  of  interest  which  we  had  not  before 
viewed,  and  then,  without  a  word  of  warning  from 
Malgares,  suddenly  cut  across  the  plaza  to  the  man 
sion  of  Don  Pedro. 

When  we  stopped  before  the  entrance  the  great 
gate  was  flung  wide  open  for  Malgares  to  drive  into 
the  court.  Instead  he  left  his  spirited  bays  in  the 
charge  of  a  groom,  and  led  us  in  afoot.  When  we 
came  to  the  court  he  dropped  back  beside  Pike.  I  fol 
lowed  in  the  rear,  wondering  what  would  be  the  na 
ture  of  my  reception  by  Don  Pedro  and  his  senora, 
and  whether  I  should  be  permitted  to  see  Alisanda  in 
the  presence  of  her  relatives. 

These  questions  were  soon  answered.  The  moment 
we  appeared  Don  Pedro  hailed  us  from  the  head  of 
the  stairway  and  hastened  down  to  welcome  us.  His 
manner  to  me  was  quite  as  cordial  as  it  had  ever  been, 
and  when  he  led  us  up  into  the  sala>  Senora  Vallois 
was  no  less  pleasant.  Alisanda  was  not  present.  But 
immediately  after  our  hostess  had  invited  us  to  be 
seated,  she  pulled  what  I  presume  must  have  been  a 
bell-cord.  Within  half  a  minute  Chita  appeared  at 
one  of  the  inner  doorways. 

Dona  Marguerite  signed  to  her  and  called  quickly: 
"  Go,  tell  your  mistress  we  should  be  pleased  to  have 


A  Defeat  353 

her  join  us.  We  have  guests  of  her  acquaintance 
and  also  Lieutenant  Pike,  whom  I  particularly  wish 
to  introduce." 

Chita  gave  me  a  blank  stare,  and  disappeared. 
Malgares  smiled  at  my  heightened  color,  and  Pike 
looked  about,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  blue  eyes  that  belied 
his  solemn  face.  Yet  I  managed  to  force  my  gaze 
away  from  the  inner  doorway,  and  even  joined  in  the 
conversation  with  some  lightness.  In  the  midst  of  a 
sentence,  I  saw  Pike's  eyes  suddenly  widen  and  glow 
with  admiration.  By  that  I  knew  Alisanda  had  en 
tered  the  sola,  and  I  could  not  resist  the  impulse  to 
turn  about. 

It  was  small  wonder  my  friend  stared  fascinated 
and  that  Malgares  uttered  a  quick  exclamation  of 
delight.  Alisanda  stood  before  us  in  the  costume  she 
had  worn  at  the  Blennerhassets'.  Her  loveliness  was 
overpowering  —  intoxicating!  No  Grecian  goddess 
could  have  exceeded  her  in  grace  of  movement  and 
exquisite  modelling  of  form,  while  the  beauty  of  her 
pale,  oval  face,  with  its  wondrous  eyes  and  luscious 
lips  and  crown  of  sable  tresses,  was  beyond  all 
compare. 

Regardless  of  Spanish  etiquette,  I  hastened  to  her 
side.  She  rewarded  me  with  a  glance  of  adorable 
tenderness,  and  took  my  arm  that  I  might  lead  her 
down  the  long  apartment  to  where  the  others  were 
grouped.  Don  Pedro  frowned  at  my  presumption, 
but  the  seriora  could  not  resist  a  smile  at  my  ready 
gallantry  as  I  led  up  her  niece  to  be  presented  to  Pike. 

23 


354  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Their  first  remarks  opened  a  conversation  as  lively 
as  it  was  elevated  in  tone,  and  I  took  a  seat  to  one 
side,  eager  for  my  lady  and  my  friend  each  to  dis 
cover  the  wit  and  fine  sentiments  and  high  breeding 
of  the  other. 

But  neither  I,  nor,  I  fancy,  our  host  and  hostess 
had  bargained  on  the  fervor  of  the  Lieutenant's  par 
tisanship  for  me.  Without  ceasing  to  render  the 
most  delicate  of  compliments  to  my  lady,  he  adroitly 
turned  the  conversation  upon  myself.  Such  a  pane 
gyric  as  he  bestowed  upon  me  I  had  not  thought 
it  possible  even  for  his  fond  bias  to  contrive.  A 
man  may  deserve  some  praise  for  his  character, 
since  that  is  acquired,  but  why  give  him  credit 
for  the  qualities  of  temperament  with  which  he  was 
born? 

Notwithstanding  my  embarrassment,  it  was  most 
blissful  to  watch  my  dear  girl  flush  and  glow,  and  to 
see  her  lovely  eyes  glisten  with  love  and  pride,  as 
Pike  went  on  and  on,  contriving  to  cast  a  glamour  over 
the  most  commonplace  of  my  qualities  and  deeds. 
As  may  be  surmised,  my  feelings  were  directly  op 
posite  to  those  which  racked  Don  Pedro  and  Dona 
Marguerite.  Nothing,  I  imagine,  could  have  given 
them  greater  annoyance  than  this  pouring  of  the  oil 
of  incense  upon  the  flame  of  my  lady's  love.  Yet  Pike 
swept  gallantly  on,  innocent  of  all  offence,  while  our 
host  and  hostess  turned  steadily  colder  beneath  their 
forced  smiles,  and  I  flushed  hotter  with  blissful  shame, 
and  Malgares  lolled  back,  with  a  dgarrito  between 


A  Defeat  355 

his  fingers,  his  fine  face  impassive,  but  his  eyes  drink 
ing  all  in  with  utmost  amusement. 

At  last,  after  one  or  two  vain  efforts  to  divert  the 
conversation,  Dona  Marguerite  asked  Malgares  if  he 
was  not  intending  to  take  us  around  to  see  our  other 
friends.  The  hint  was  unmistakable.  As  we  rose  to 
leave,  our  hostess  deftly  interposed  the  rampart  of 
her  plump  figure  between  Alisanda  and  myself. 
Our  parting  was  restricted  to  a  single  exchange  of 
glances. 

That  I  should  leave  with  this  and  no  more  was  be 
yond  my  endurance.  As  we  bowed  to  Don  Pedro  at 
the  head  of  the  stairway,  a  sudden  resolve  came  to  me. 
I  signed  to  the  others  to  go  on,  and  addressed  our 
host:  "  Senor,  my  friends  will  pardon  my  desertion 
of  them.  I  desire  the  favor  of  a  private  talk  with 
you." 

The  frown  which  had  creased  his  forehead  at  my 
first  word  vanished  at  the  last.  He  had  thought  I  in 
tended  to  ask  for  a  private  interview  with  Alisanda. 

"  At  your  service,  Don  Juan,"  he  at  once  responded. 

I  drew  aside  until  he  had  bowed  my  friends  down 
the  stairway  and  out  of  sight.  He  then  turned  to  me, 
with  a  grave  smile,  and,  taking  my  arm,  led  me  away 
from  the  sola  to  his  private  cabinet,  a  small  but  ele 
gantly  furnished  room  in  the  far  corner  of  the  man 
sion.  But  I  was  not  interested  in  the  paintings  by 
Titian,  Velasquez,  and  Murillo  which  decorated  the 
rough-plastered  walls,  and  to  which  he  called  my 
attention  with  excusable  pride. 


356  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  Senor,"  I  said,  "  these  pictures  are  beautiful,  — 
they  show  the  skill  of  master  artists.  But  my  whole 
being  thrills  with  the  matchless  beauty  and  grace  of 
a  living  work  of  art,  —  the  masterpiece  of  the  Master 
of  masters,  of  God  Himself !  " 

"  Juan!  "  he  cried,  "  forgive  me!  I  know  now  how 
you  love  her.  Yet  it  is  impossible.  If  I  dared  give 
way  to  my  personal  regard  for  you,  you  should  have 
her.  Believe  me,  I  speak  only  the  truth.  But  my 
country  —  for  the  sake  of  its  freedom,  its  welfare,  I 
am  resolved  to  give  all  —  even  her!  " 

"  Even  her!  "  I  answered.  "  Then  give  her  to  me! 
I  will  fight  for  your  country,  —  I  will  pledge  my  life 
in  the  cause  of  freedom!  What  more  can  you  ask? 
Your  country  shall  be  my  country;  your  cause  my 
cause ! " 

"  No,  Juan,  it  cannot  be!  "  he  replied,  and  his  sigh 
proved  that  his  regret  was  real.  "  You  would  add 
strength  to  our  cause,  but  not  what  may  be  gained 
elsewhere.  There  are  men  in  New  Spain  who,  if  they 
joined  the  revolution,  could  singly  bring  over  whole 
provinces." 

"You  would  give  her  to  another!  —  as  a  bribe  to 
win  the  support  of  another!  —  when  you  know  she 
loves  me?" 

"  God  bear  me  witness,  it  is  not  for  myself  but  for 
my  country.  What  a  small  price  to  pay  —  the  disap 
pointment  of  two  lovers  —  in  turn  for  the  freedom 
and  happiness  of  millions  I  " 

"  It  is  not  your  heart  you  would  break,"  I  retorted. 


A  Defeat  357 

"  Do  you  then  believe  I  can  look  upon  her  grief  and 
yours  without  sorrow? " 

"  Let  another  pay  the  price ! " 

"  There  is  none  other  as  precious  —  none  other  that 
can  win  him  over.  All  turns  upon  her  beauty  and 
charm.  He  whose  aid  I  am  resolved  to  gain  by  the 
bestowal  of  her  hand  can  be  won  only  by  the  most 
lovely  woman  in  New  Spain.  And  he  is  one  whose 
leadership  would  at  once  bring  us  the  support  of  all 
the  land,  from  across  the  borders  of  the  Viceroyalty 
to  Santa  Fe." 

I  stood  dumb,  staring  at  him  in  deepening  despair. 

"  Juan,  can  you  not  look  at  the  matter  through  my 
eyes? "  he  urged.  "  The  time  is  ripe.  There  are  ru 
mors  that  the  Corsican  is  preparing  to  clutch  Old 
Spain  out  of  the  feeble  grasp  of  King  Ferdinand.  It 
is  well  known  that  the  revenues  from  our  mines  have 
already  for  a  long  time  been  flowing  through  the 
Spanish  treasury  into  the  coffers  of  France.  Our 
people  are  fast  losing  faith  in  Old  World  rulership. 
They  hate  and  fear  the  French." 

"  Then  let  them  rebel  and  win  freedom  with  their 
blood,  as  did  my  people.  A  people  who  would  buy 
liberty  by  the  sale  of  a  helpless  girl  are  worthy  only 
of  utter  slavery." 

He  flushed  a  dull  red  beneath  his  swarthy  skin,  yet 
kept  his  temper  well  in  hand. 

"  You  do  not  understand,  Juan.  Listen.  It  is  now 
only  ten  years  since  the  people  of  the  Viceroyalty  rose 
and  proclaimed  the  Viceroy,  Barnardo  Count  of  Gal- 


358  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

vez,  King  of  Mexico.  In  his  misguided  loyalty,  Bar- 
nardo  crushed  the  insurrection  with  merciless  vigor,  — 
for  which  he  was  duly  honored  and  then  duly  poisoned 
by  his  royal  master.  Had  he  been  wise,  he  would 
to-day  be  ruling  over  a  freed  country  of  devoted  sub 
jects.  But  that  revolution  came  to  naught;  the  vast 
projects  of  your  discredited  statesman  Aaron  Burr 
have  failed  most  miserably;  and  now  we  lovers  of 
liberty  here  are  left  to  do  the  best  we  can  with  our 
unaided  strength." 

"  And  the  purchasing  power  of  divine  and  innocent 
beauty! "  I  cried. 

"  So  be  it!  "  he  replied,  with  a  hardness  of  determi 
nation  which  I  realized  all  my  anger  and  despair  could 
not  move  a  hair's-breadth.  Yet  as  he  went  on,  his 
voice  quivered  with  unfeigned  commiseration  for  my 
suffering.  "  Juan!  —  Juan!  If  I  could  sell  my  soul 
instead,  and  thereby  save  her  for  you,  I  would  do  it. 
The  thought  of  her  anguish  rends  my  very  heart 
cords !  Yet  it  cannot  be.  She  alone  can  win  over  the 
second  Galvez  who  shall  free  my  country." 

There  was  nothing  more  to  be  said.  Death  alone 
can  bend  the  course  of  a  good  and  strong  man  turned 
fanatic.  Without  a  word  I  left  the  room,  half  crazed 
with  rage  and  black  despair.  He  followed,  murmur 
ing  words  of  sorrowful  regret ;  but  to  me  his  heartfelt 
condolences  seemed  only  the  bitterest  of  mockeries. 

As  I  descended  the  stairway,  I  looked  back,  not  to 
return  his  grave  bows,  but  in  search  of  my  lady.  It 
was  in  vain.  Dona  Marguerite  had  taken  care  to 


A  Defeat  359 

spirit  her  away.  Heavy-footed,  I  dragged  myself  out 
into  the  street  and  away  from  that  hateful  gateway. 

Before  I  could  reach  the  plaza,  I  heard  a  sudden 
rumble  of  wheels  and  thud  of  hoofs,  and  there  swirled 
into  the  street  a  grand  coach  and  six  that  all  but  ran 
me  down.  I  flung  myself  clear  of  the  trampling 
hoofs,  but  the  forewheel  of  the  huge  gilded  carriage 
grazed  my  leg  as  I  pressed  back  against  the  nearest 
wall. 

A  few  strides  of  the  splendid  horses  whirled  the 
coach  upstreet  to  the  gateway  I  had  just  left.  There 
the  driver  pulled  up  with  a  flourish,  and  the  footmen 
sprang  down  to  stand  at  the  heads  of  the  horses  and 
to  open  the  coach  door,  from  which  stepped  — 
Medina ! 

It  flashed  upon  me  that  this  was  the  man  to  whom 
my  lady  was  to  be  bartered.  I  turned  on  my  heel  to 
rush  back  and  challenge  him.  But  from  the  manner 
in  which  he  stood  to  one  side,  I  perceived  he  had  not 
come  alone.  A  moment  later  Don  Pedro  appeared 
in  the  gateway  and  stepped  to  the  side  of  the  coach, 
bowing  profoundly.  A  hand  was  reached  out  to  him, 
and  from  the  coach  descended,  not  the  young  gallant 
whom  I  looked  to  see,  but  stern-faced,  gray-haired 
Nimesio  Salcedo. 

Greatly  puzzled,  I  turned  again  and  walked  slowly 
to  our  quarters,  striving  to  discern  an  opening  through 
the  meshes  of  intrigue  in  which  Alisanda  and  I  had 
become  entangled.  What  could  be  the  meaning  of 
this  visit  of  the  Governor- General  to  one  who  I  knew 


360  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

had  reason  to  detest  and  fear  him?  And  if,  as  it 
seemed  to  me  Don  Pedro  had  intimated,  he  intended 
to  win  over  the  Viceroy  Iturrigaray  by  the  offer  of 
Alisanda's  hand,  why  had  he  not  already  taken  her 
to  the  City  of  Mexico,  or  stopped  there  on  his  way 
from  Vera  Cruz? 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

HEART  TO  HEART 

ONE  result  of  my  pondering  of  the  tangled  situ 
ation  was  the  resolve  to  keep  from  my  friend 
all  that  concerned  myself  alone.  He  had  enough  and 
to  spare  of  anxieties  and  difficulties  over  the  safety 
of  himself  and  his  men,  without  becoming  involved 
in  my  private  affairs.  At  the  least,  his  concern  for  my 
safety  and  happiness  would  have  tended  to  interfere 
with  the  observations  and  notes  which  we  hoped  would 
be  of  such  great  value  to  our  country. 

The  following  morning  being  Sunday,  I  went  early 
to  the  Parroquia,  thinking  to  visit  Father  Hocus, 
should  I  fail  to  meet  Alisanda  again.  This  last  was 
barely  within  the  bounds  of  my  fondest  expectations, 
and  I  was  accordingly  more  grieved  than  surprised 
when  she  failed  to  appear.  As  I  was  going  out,  a  few 
minutes  before  the  close  of  the  service,  a  rather  well- 
dressed  woman  in  the  archway  mumbled  an  appeal  for 
alms. 

Struck  by  her  lack  of  dirt  and  tatters,  I  stopped. 
She  repeated  her  appeal,  this  time  in  a  clear  tone, 
though  without  opening  the  veiling  folds  of  her  re- 
bozo.  It  seemed  to  me  I  recognized  the  voice  of 
Chita.  At  once  I  held  out  a  coin  to  her.  In  reaching 


362  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

for  it,  she  covered  my  hand  with  the  edge  of  her  re- 
bozo,  beneath  which  I  felt  a  note  being  slipped  into 
my  palm. 

She  turned  away,  with  a  shrill  blessing  upon  the 
generous  Inglese>  while  I  dropped  my  half-closed 
hand  to  my  side,  thrust  it  into  my  pocket  and  left  the 
note,  to  draw  out  a  copper  for  the  foremost  of  the 
wretched  leprosos  who  came  flocking  about  the  rich 
foreigner.  This  time  I  was  provided  with  a  quantity 
of  the  smallest  coins  of  the  realm,  and  scattered  two 
or  three  handfuls  to  right  and  left.  While  the  beg 
gars  swarmed  after  the  coppers  like  a  flock  of  fowls 
over  their  grain,  I  slipped  around  the  nearest  corner 
of  the  church  to  read  my  precious  note.  It  was  short 
but  full  of  promise :  — 

"  Do  not  go  to  the  promenade.  Feign  illness.  The  Parro- 
quia  at  nine  o'clock  to-night." 

The  Parroquia?  —  at  nine  in  the  evening?  It  was 
an  appointment  to  meet  her!  Yet  how  could  she  es 
cape  the  watchful  eyes  of  Dona  Marguerite  and  Don 
Pedro,  even  should  they,  as  was  most  improbable, 
take  her  out  to  the  promenade? 

However,  I  concluded  that  I  could  safely  trust  to 
her  wit  and  courage  to  bring  about  the  meeting.  My 
problem  was  how  to  fill  the  weary  hours  and  minutes 
which  lay  between.  I  wandered  aimlessly  about  the 
city,  stopping  now  and  then  to  watch  the  gambling 
with  dice  and  cards,  which,  though  prohibited  by  His 
Excellency,  is  too  deeply  seated  in  the  natures  of 
these  people  to  be  eradicated. 


Heart  to  Heart  363 

Intense  as  were  these  games,  where  men  and  even 
women  staked  their  little  all  with  passionate  abandon, 
the  excitement  was  far  greater  and  the  betting  higher 
at  the  numerous  cock-fights.  I  looked  on  at  one,  — 
which  was  enough  and  to  spare.  Man  has  a  right 
to  kill  for  food,  but  none  other  than  the  cruel  and 
brutal  enjoys  the  torment  of  his  fellow  creatures. 

A  gay  dinner  at  the  house  of  Dona  Maria  Cabrera 
helped  to  pass  over  the  day  until  the  siesta.  But 
throughout  the  long  hours  of  the  afternoon  rest  I 
could  only  lie  and  swelter  and  eat  up  my  heart  with 
longing  and  anxiety.  So  heated  and  restless  did  I 
become  that  when  Walker  waked  he  inquired  whether 
I  had  a  fever. 

This  gave  me  my  opening,  and  I  stated  my  con 
dition  at  some  length,  in  medical  language  which  im 
pressed  him  much  while  telling  him  nothing.  Even 
Pike  was  deceived  by  my  statement,  but  I  assured 
him  that  I  should  be  quite,  well  by  morning  if  I  ab 
stained  from  the  usual  round  of  calls  and  the  evening 
in  the  promenade.  After  condoling  with  me  and  ex 
plaining  my  indisposition  to  the  numerous  friends 
who  called,  they  at  last  heeded  my  request  for  quiet, 
and  went  off  to  spread  the  news  of  my  illness. 

Between  then  and  the  twilight,  the  few  who  called 
were  permitted  to  peep  in  and  see  me  dozing  on  my 
mattress,  with  my  head  swathed  about  in  wet  towels. 
But  after  la  oration,  old  Csesar  had  his  orders  to  stop 
all  on  the  threshold  of  the  outer  room,  and  explain 
that  I  was  not  to  be  disturbed. 


364  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

A  full  hour  before  the  time  set,  I  borrowed  one  of 
Walker's  circular  cloaks,  and  shadowed  my  face  in 
my  wide  sombrero.  After  explaining  to  Csesar  that 
I  needed  a  breath  of  fresh  air,  but  that  he  should  say 
nothing  about  my  absence  unless  his  master  or  Lieu 
tenant  Pike  came  in  before  my  return,  I  slipped  out, 
unseen  by  any  one  else. 

The  moon  having  risen,  I  had  need  of  care  to  cross 
the  plaza  without  attracting  attention.  Fortunately 
it  was  too  early  for  an  encounter  with  the  soldiers  of 
the  night  patrols,  who  would  have  required  me  to  give 
my  countersign.  Arriving  at  the  Parroquia,  I  sta 
tioned  myself  in  the  dense  shadow  around  the  corner 
of  the  farther  tower,  and  waited  with  such  scant 
patience  as  I  could  command. 

Now  and  then  persons  passed  by  in  the  plaza,  singly 
or  in  couples  or  in  groups.  None  caught  sight  of  me, 
yet  I  could  see  them  with  perfect  distinctness,  and  as 
I  considered  this,  I  was  seized  with  the  fear  that  Alis- 
anda  would  inevitably  be  detected  before  she  could 
reach  my  side. 

From  the  first  I  had  kept  my  gaze  fixed  in  the  di 
rection  of  the  Vallois  mansion,  and  had  watched  with 
eagerness  the  approach  of  all  the  gowned  figures 
that  came  either  alone  or  in  pairs.  As  the  time  drew 
near,  I  became  more  restless  and  could  not  keep  so 
steady  a  watch.  More  than  once  I  had  to  turn  to  look 
about  at  all  quarters  of  the  plaza. 

It  was  during  one  of  these  chance  glances  that  I 
was  astonished  to  see  my  lady  approaching  the  church 


Heart  to  Heart  365 

from  the  direction  of  the  promenade.  She  was  ac 
companied  by  Father  Hocus  and  Chita. 

When  they  came  opposite  me,  I  ventured  a  slight 
cough,  but  they  went  by  without  stopping.  It  was 
otherwise  with  a  group  of  young  gallants,  who  paused 
to  stare  at  the  graceful  figure  of  my  lady  until  she 
and  the  padre  and  Chita  had  disappeared  into  the 
yawning  entrance  of  the  Parroquia.  The  young 
beaux  had  at  once  guessed  the  identity  of  the  senorita, 
notwithstanding  her  veiling  mantilla,  and  they  stood 
within  twenty  feet  of  me,  discussing  her  lovely  charms 
as  we  would  name  over  the  fine  points  of  a  pedigreed 
horse. 

Meanwhile  I  fretted  and  fumed,  in  a  swelter  of 
impatience.  No  doubt  my  lady  was  waiting  for  me 
and  wondering  at  my  delay!  At  last  I  was  on  the 
point  of  stepping  out  boldly  to  follow  her,  when  Chita 
came  scuffling  out  of  the  church,  bent  over  like  an  old 
crone.  She  passed  the  young  men,  muttering  and 
grumbling,  and  tottered  half  sideways  around  into  the 
shadow.  I  caught  her  outstretched  hand,  and  she  led 
me  quickly  back  along  the  flank  of  the  towering 
edifice. 

We  stopped  before  the  dim  outline  of  a  little  door. 
Chita  tapped  upon  the  panel,  and  stepped  away  a  few 
paces,  to  stand  with  her  back  to  me.  A  moment  later 
the  door  swung  open,  without  a  sound,  and  a  dark 
figure  appeared. 

"  Alisanda !  "  I  whispered. 

"  Juan!  "  she  replied,  stepping  nearer. 


366  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Ah,  the  rapture  of  that  moment!  Hers  was  no  half 
love,  to  shrink  with  false  shame.  As  I  clasped  her 
in  my  arms,  her  own  arms  slipped  about  my  neck  in 
tender  embrace,  and  her  lips  met  mine  in  a  kiss  of 
purest  passion.  Our  hearts  throbbed  together  in  ec 
stasy.  She  drew  back  her  head  to  gaze  at  me  through 
the  shadow. 

"  Juan!  Juan!  my  knight!  Oh,  the  joy  of  leaning 
upon  your  dear  breast!  I  could  swoon  for  joy!" 

"  Tell  me  you  love  me!  "  I  demanded. 

"Juan!  Can  you  doubt  it?  Could  you  have 
doubted  it  from  the  first  —  the  very  first?  There  in 
the  midst  of  that  miry  avenue,  when  I  looked  out  the 
coach  window  into  the  windows  of  your  soul,  —  then 
it  was,  my  knight  —  " 

"  Then?  "  I  questioned,  my  astonishment  as  great 
as  my  delight  —  "then,  dearest  heart?  You  per 
ceived  the  love,  the  adoration  which  filled  my  whole 
being  at  my  first  view  of  your  lovely  face !  You  knew 
I  would  serve  you  and  love  you  forever  after! " 

"  No,  dear.  I  knew  you  loved  me  that  moment. 
But  I  did  not  know  you.  I  was  very  proud  —  I  am 
still  very  proud.  The  blood  of  kings  flows  in  my  veins. 
I  had  vowed  I  should  wed  none  other  than  one  of 
kingly  blood.  I  shall  not  break  that  vow." 

"  Yet  my  arms  are  about  you,  Alisanda.  See,  I 
draw  you  still  closer  to  my  heart;  I  kiss  your  adorable 
lips!" 

As  I  eased  my  embrace  a  little,  she  sighed,  and  her 
head  sank  upon  my  shoulder. 


Heart  to  Heart  367 

"  Wait,  dearest,"  she  murmured.  "  Such  ecstasy 
goes  beyond  my  strength." 

"  Alisanda!  "  I  exclaimed,  "  tell  me  —  you  do  love 
me  —  this  is  not  a  dream !  I  know  you  are  in  my  arms, 
yet  it  is  unbelievable  —  it  is  not  possible  that  you  —  !  " 

"Juan,  my  king!"  she  answered. 

"That?" 

"  Yes,  that !  I  believe  in  nobility  of  birth,  for  in 
that  belief  I  was  born  and  reared.  But  you  have  taught 
me  a  new  belief;  you  have  opened  my  eyes  to  see 
that  there  are  men  who  are  their  own  ancestors,  — 
men  so  true  and  brave  and  chivalrous  that  they  are 
kings  among  their  fellows,  whatever  their  birth." 

"  Beloved,"  I  said,  "  do  not  mistake.  I  am  as  other 
men.  It  was  only  the  love  you  inspired  that  gave  me 
strength  to  win  you.  I  am  but  an  average  man.  Yet 
with  your  love  —  with  your  dear  self  to  glorify  life  for 
me,  it  may  be  I  can  rise  above  the  average," 

"  My  king,"  she  repeated,  woman-like,  unmoved  by 
the  plain  reason  of  my  statement. 

"  We  have  no  kings  in  the  Republic,"  I  argued. 

"  But  I  have  a  king  in  my  heart!  Ah,  Juan,  if  you 
but  knew  the  fulness  of  your  conquest!  Love  was  in 
my  heart  from  the  first.  Love  can  creep  through 
keyholes.  But  pride  barred  the  way  against  your 
entrance.  Did  I  not  mock  you  and  scorn  you  and 
look  coldly  upon  you?  Yet  Love  forced  me  to  give 
you  the  fighting  chance,  to  put  you  to  the  test." 

"  That  was  the  mystery  —  the  secret  of  your  eyes!  " 
I  exclaimed. 


368  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  And  you  had  the  courage  to  guess  aright,  to  per 
severe  against  all  my  scorn  and  hauteur,  to  cross  the 
barrier  of  rock  and  the  barrier  of  pride  and  birth,  into 
my  heart,  Juan! " 

"  Forever  in  your  heart,  as  you  in  mine! " 

"Forever!"  * 

"  When  will  you  wed  me,  dearest  one?  " 

At  the  words  she  quivered  and  sought  to  draw 
away,  but  I  held  her  fast.  "  No,  Alisanda !  I  cannot 
release  you  until  you  have  told  me.  When  shall  we 
be  married?  " 

"Ah,  Juan!"  she  sighed.  "How  can  I  answer 
you?  I  fear  that  it  will  be  never!  " 

"Never!" 

"  My  uncle  has  asked  me  to  sacrifice  myself  for  the 
sake  of  the  revolution." 

"  By  marrying  the  Viceroy?  " 

"No!" 

"No?  — Then  whom?" 

"  The  Governor-General." 

"  Him  —  Salcedo?  —  that  old  tyrant?  " 

"  It  is  my  uncle's  wish.  He  says  it  would  free  mil 
lions  of  people,  my  countrymen." 

"  Your  countrymen?  You  come  from  Old  Spain! 
No!  And  what  if  that  man  should  sell  himself  for 
your  beauty?  Could  such  a  man  be  trusted?  Yet 
suppose  he  held  true  to  his  pledge  to  lead  the  revolu 
tion,  and  suppose  the  revolution  should  triumph, 
would  it  not  be  the  triumph  of  Salcedo?  Would  this 
wretched  land  be  less  oppressed  under  Salcedo  the 


Heart  to  Heart  369 

King  than  under  Salcedo  the  Governor- General? 
Answer  me,  Alisanda  Vallois.  You  know  the  man!  " 

ff  Madre  de  los  Dolores!  —  And  I  would  have  made 
the  sacrifice  for  that!  Juan,  you  have  given  me  an 
answer  to  my  uncle's  plea.  He  may  break  my  heart, 
but  he  shall  not  force  me  to  marry  against  my  wish. 
Rather  than  that,  I  will  take  the  veil." 

"  Become  a  nun?  "  I  protested. 

"  If  I  may  not  marry  you,  Juan." 

"  But  you  will  marry  me,  Alisanda  —  you  must !  " 

"  How  can  I,  dear?  You  have  yet  to  cross  the 
gulf." 

"  Father  Rocus  —  "I  began. 

"  He  has  spoken  for  you  on  that,  yet  admits  a 
doubt.  Can  I  wed  you  while  I  still  think  of  it  as  a 
sin  —  a  marriage  against  God's  will?  " 

A  sudden  great  fear  embittered  my  rapture  and 
dashed  me  to  the  earth. 

"  Alisanda,"  I  pleaded,  "  is  not  our  love  true  love? 
Can  such  love  be  wrong  in  the  sight  of  God? " 

"  I  have  prayed  the  Virgin  for  hours  without  an 
swer  to  that,"  she  sighed.  "  And  when  the  holy  priest 
admits  a  doubt —  If  I  do  not  come  to  you  with  a 
clear  conscience,  Juan,  I  shall  be  unworthy  of  your 
love." 

"  Leave  that  to  me  to  judge!  " 

"  No.  We  must  wait,  my  knight.  Rest  assured  I 
will  not  wed  another  than  yourself.  Be  patient.  A 
few  days  may  see  the  cutting  of  the  knot.  That  dan 
gerous  man  Medina  has  wormed  himself  into  the 

24 


370  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

council  of  the  revolutionists.  It  would  be  like  him 
to  turn  traitor,  and  demand  me  as  his  price  for  not 
betraying  the  plot." 

"  Your  uncle  will  give  you  to  him  to  save  his  own 
life!" 

'  You  do  my  uncle  an  injustice.  He  would  sooner 
die.  No ;  I  was  to  be  given  to  Salcedo  for  the  sake  of 
this  oppressed  land.  My  uncle  would  die  rather  than 
force  misery  upon  me  for  other  than  the  sacred  cause 
of  liberty." 

"  I  have  opened  your  eyes  to  the  peril  of  trusting 
Salcedo.  Now  what  is  to  be  done?  " 

"  Should  Medina  threaten,  my  uncle  must  flee  from 
New  Spain." 

:<  Taking  you  with  him!  The  world  is  large, 
dearest  one,  but  wherever  he  may  take  you,  I  will 
follow." 

"If  you  escape  Salcedo!"  she  whispered,  and  I 
felt  her  tremble. 

Before  I  could  answer,  the  voice  of  Father  Rocus 
murmured  from  the  little  doorway:  "  My  children, 
you  must  part  now.  I  brought  you  away  on  the  plea 
of  faintness,  my  daughter.  I  must  take  you  in  for  a 
glass  of  wine,  that  my  servant  may  bear  witness  with 
a  clear  conscience,  and  then  we  must  hasten  home  with 
you  before  the  return  of  your  kinsfolk." 

"  But  when  shall  I  see  her  again,  padre?  "  I  begged, 
clinging  to  my  love  as  she  clung  to  me. 

"  Sdbe  Dios!  —  Quien  sdbe?  "  he  returned.  "  We 
will  each  and  all  do  what  we  can.  Now  we  must  has- 


Heart  to  Heart  371 

ten,  for  if  my  share  in  this  be  discovered,  I  shall  lose 
all  power  to  help  you." 

Reason  compelled  me  to  bend  to  this  argument.  I 
strained  Alisanda  to  me,  and  we  exchanged  a  parting 
kiss.  Chita  came  up  beside  us,  and  the  moment  I 
released  her  mistress,  hurried  her  to  the  envious 
doorway. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

A   SPANISH   BALL 

FORTUNATELY  I  did  not  know  that  before 
me  lay  a  full  week  of  useless  scheming  and  vain 
longing.  Though  we  went  about  visiting  and  dining 
as  usual,  even  two  evenings  at  Colonel  Mayron's  failed 
to  bring  me  the  slightest  relief  from  my  suspense. 
Alisanda  was  kept  in  such  seclusion  that  even  Dona, 
Dolores  could  not  reach  her. 

On  the  other  hand,  Salcedo  called  twice  at  the  Val- 
lois  mansion  and  took  with  him  Medina.  This  caused 
me  the  most  intense  anxiety.  I  was  sure  of  Alisanda's 
constancy,  and  yet  did  not  know  what  pressure  their 
casuistic  minds  might  bring  to  bear  against  her  will. 

As  to  this  Father  Rocus  might  have  enlightened 
me,  had  I  not  feared  to  compromise  him  by  a  second 
visit.  It  would  need  only  the  slightest  shadow  of  a 
suspicion  to  put  Don  Pedro  and  his  senora  on  their 
guard  against  the  padre.  Also  I  relied  upon  His 
Reverence  to  inform  me  in  some  secret  manner  at  the 
first  change  in  the  situation. 

Another  Sunday  roused  in  me  the  wild  hope  of  a 
second  meeting  with  my  lady.  But  though  I  fairly 
haunted  the  Parroquia  throughout  the  forenoon,  I  re 
ceived  no  notes  and  saw  nothing  of  my  friends.  Even 


A  Spanish  Ball  373 

Father  Hocus  was  absent.  A  casually  spoken  ques 
tion  at  dinner  brought  me  the  information  that  he 
was  suffering  a  slight  attack  of  gout. 

Pike,  ever  eager  for  the  display  of  my  small  skill 
as  a  physician,  immediately  urged  upon  me  to  offer 
my  services  to  the  padre.  This  was  seconded  by 
Walker  and  the  half-dozen  guests  present  with  us  at 
table,  for  it  appeared  that  Father  Hocus  was  a  gen 
eral  favorite  in  Chihuahua,  from  the  mighty  Salcedo 
down  to  the  lowliest  leproso.  After  much  insistence 
on  the  part  of  the  others,  I  at  last  agreed  to  call  upon 
the  padre  and  prescribe  for  him. 

Our  little  dinner,  though  frugal,  was  a  merry  one, 
for  our  host  and  the  guests  were  in  high  spirits  over 
the  prospect  of  a  baile,  or  ball,  that  evening.  Though 
this  ball  was  given  at  the  house  of  a  family  we  had  not 
previously  visited,  Walker  took  Pike  and  myself  as 
a  matter  of  course. 

When  we  arrived  we  found  most  of  the  elite  of  the 
city  already  assembled  in  the  large  ballroom.  In 
deed,  the  first  couple  upon  whom  I  set  eyes  were 
Dona  Dolores  Malgares  and  His  Excellency,  Don 
Nimesio  Salcedo,  Commandant- General  of  the  Inter 
nal  Provinces  of  the  Kingdom  of  New  Spain,  whirling 
about  in  a  Spanish  dance  that  displayed  far  more  live 
liness  than  dignity. 

We  were  duly  presented  to  our  hostess,  and  made 
our  compliments;  after  which  Pike  plunged  into  the 
whirl  with  all  the  zest  of  his  gallant  nature.  I  drew 
apart,  to  overlook  the  gay  scene  in  search  of  my  lady. 


374  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Not  that  I  had  much  hope  of  seeing  her,  but  I  had 
learned  that  almost  anything  seemed  possible  in  this 
land  of  intrigue. 

At  once  I  was  challenged  from  all  sides  by  brilliant- 
eyed  senoras  and  senoritas.  But  even  had  I  wished 
to  take  one  as  partner,  I  was  unacquainted  with  the 
now  spirited,  now  voluptuous  measures  of  this  peculiar 
Spanish  dance.  Pike,  daring  at  all  times  and  in  all 
places,  was  attempting  the  step  with  the  aid  of  a 
plump  and  kindly  senorita. 

I  was  more  than  content  to  keep  back  and  look  on, 
while  my  ears  drank  in  the  seductive  melody  of 
mingled  guitar  and  violin  and  singing  voices  which 
floated  down  the  ballroom  from  the  stand  of  the  mu 
sicians.  Both  the  oddness  and  the  agreeableness  of 
this  music  was  enhanced  when  at  certain  intervals 
the  guests  joined  in  the  singing. 

Confusing  as  was  the  whirl  of  the  dance,  I  soon 
identified  all  present  who  were  known  to  me,  the 
first  turn  of  the  dancers  bringing  me  a  smile  from  my 
stately  friend  Malgares  and  a  hostile  stare  from  Lieu 
tenant  Medina.  The  dread  to  which  the  latter  had 
reduced  many  of  his  fellow-officers  was  evident  from 
the  manner  in  which  the  young  subaltern  who  had 
pressed  up  beside  me  shrank  away  at  the  first  glance 
of  the  aide's  baleful  little  eyes. 

Wondering  how  soon  Medina  would  force  a  duel 
upon  me,  I  drifted  idly  up  the  room  and  back  toward 
the  entrance.  No  more  guests  had  arrived  since  our 
selves,  and  I  had  given  over  all  hope  of  seeing  Ali- 


A  Spanish  Ball  375 

sanda.  But  as  I  approached  the  Moorish  arch  of  the 
ballroom  doorway  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  Don  Pedro 
in  the  anteroom.  It  took  me  only  a  few  moments  to 
gain  the  doorway.  The  close  group  of  young  officers 
about  Don  Pedro  convinced  me  that  my  lady  was 
with  him.  I  thrust  myself  unceremoniously  into  their 
midst.  Dona  Marguerite  sought  to  interpose,  but, 
with  a  bow,  I  slipped  around  her,  and  bent  to  salute 
the  hand  which  Alisanda  held  out  to  me.  I  was  re 
lieved  to  see  that,  like  the  rest  of  the  ladies  present, 
she  was  dressed  in  the  Spanish  national  mode,  and  also 
that  she  seemed  in  good  health  and  spirits. 

"  God  keep  you,  amigo!  "  she  said  in  a  clear  voice. 

"  Muchas  gracias,  senorita!  May  I  beg  the  honor 
of  your  first  dance?  " 

"  It  is  yours,  senor,"  she  responded. 

The  other  men  fell  away  as  she  took  my  arm.  Don 
Pedro  stepped  forward  as  though  to  interpose,  but 
desisted  at  a  sign  from  Dona  Marguerite.  I  entered 
the  ballroom  with  colors  flying  and  the  loveliest  girl 
in  all  the  world  upon  my  arm.  For  the  moment  For 
tune  was  with  me.  The  Spanish  dance  had  reached 
an  end,  and  the  musicians  were  striking  up  a  waltz. 
Nothing  could  have  suited  me  better.  Dancing  was 
one  of  my  few  accomplishments,  and  it  was  the  very 
poetry  of  love  and  life  to  circle  about  the  long  room 
with  my  darling  in  my  arms,  in  rhythm  to  the  pulsing 
throb  of  the  sweetest  and  softest  of  music. 

It  was  no  more  than  human  that  my  bliss  should 
key  yet  higher  with  a  tang  of  triumph  as  I  glided  with 


376  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

my  lovely  partner  under  the  nose  of  the  scowling 
Salcedo  and  past  the  lowering  visage  of  his  Andalu- 
sian  aide.  It  might  be  that  I  was  to  meet  my  death 
from  one  or  the  other  of  them,  but  for  the  time  at  least 
I  was  the  happiest  man  beneath  heaven.  I  was  in 
Paradise. 

Before  I  was  forced  to  relinquish  her  to  Dona  Mar 
guerite  at  the  stopping  of  the  music,  I  received  my 
dear  girl's  pledge  to  give  me  all  the  waltzes  of  the 
evening.  More  she  dared  not  promise  for  fear  of  the 
interference  of  her  aunt.  As  may  be  imagined,  it  was 
a  severe  trial  to  see  her  led  out  by  another  partner, 
even  though  she  accepted  Pike  instead  of  Medina  for 
the  voluptuous  fandango  and  though  Dona  Dolores  con 
trived  to  pilot  me  into  the  set  in  which  my  lady  danced 
the  minuet  as  partner  to  His  Excellency,  Don  Nimesio. 

Before  the  close  of  the  baile,  Medina's  persistence 
and  his  open  warning  off  of  the  other  officers  won  him 
two  dances,  strive  as  my  lady  would  to  avoid  him. 
But  even  he  lacked  the  assurance  to  interfere  with 
Salcedo's  marked  attentions,  and,  for  the  rest,  Pike, 
Malgares,  and  myself  contrived  to  foil  him  in  every 
attempt,  with  the  two  exceptions  mentioned.  For 
myself,  I  had  the  divine  joy  of  dancing  every  waltz 
with  my  lady,  and  it  did  not  lessen  my  rapture  that 
Medina  followed  us  each  time  with  a  gaze  which  would 
have  struck  me  dead  had  it  possessed  the  power. 

Such  bliss  could  not  last.  All  too  soon  the  ball 
began  to  draw  to  a  close,  and  when  I  came  to  lead 
out  Alisanda  for  the  last  waltz,  Dona  Marguerite  in- 


A  Spanish  Ball  377 

terposed  with  the  statement  that  they  were  about  to 
leave.  Making  the  best  of  the  situation,  I  claimed 
and  was  granted  the  privilege  of  escorting  my  darling 
to  the  coach.  Such  complaisance  on  the  part  of  her 
duenna  astonished  me.  I  could  account  for  it  only 
on  the  supposition  that  Senora  Vallois  thought  to 
spur  on  Salcedo's  ardor  and  jealousy  by  the  sight 
of  a  favored  suitor. 

However  that  may  have  been,  the  last  of  my  suc 
cesses  of  the  evening  still  farther  infuriated  the  trucu 
lent  Medina.  It  is  not  improbable  he  would  have 
challenged  me  that  night  had  not  my  failure  to  obtain 
a  word  apart  with  Alisanda  induced  me  to  follow  the 
Vallois  coach  all  the  way  across  the  city. 

Watching  from  the  corner  of  the  plaza,  I  saw  the 
coach  roll  in  between  the  wide-flung  gates  of  the  Val 
lois  mansion.  I  waited  perhaps  half  an  hour,  then 
stole  silently  up  the  street  to  my  black  doorway,  across 
from  her  balcony,  and  began  to  murmur  the  song 
which  had  twice  brought  me  a  response  from  her.  Al 
most  immediately  a  light  appeared  behind  the  drawn 
hangings.  I  started  forward  eagerly,  only  to  check 
myself  and  step  back  into  the  denser  darkness  of 
my  lurking  place.  A  hand  had  parted  the  curtains, 
and  between  them  appeared  the  frowning  face  of  Don 
Pedro. 

I  went  home,  if  not  in  as  black  a  mood  as  Medina, 
at  least  not  disposed  to  kindly  thoughts  toward  my 
enemies. 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

THE  INSULT 

AS  chance  would  have  it,  Medina  and  I  did  not 
again  meet  for  four  or  five  days.  In  the  mean 
time  the  Lieutenant  and  I  were  astonished  to  receive 
the  report  that  an  American  officer  had  arrived  in 
Vera  Cruz  some  weeks  since,  and  had  been  permitted 
to  start  for  the  City  of  Mexico.  What  could  be  his 
mission  and  why  the  Viceroy  should  allow  him  to 
travel  through  the  midst  of  his  territories  was  a  puzzle 
we  tried  in  vain  to  solve. 

The  same  day  I  called  upon  Father  Rocus,  as  I 
had  promised,  but  saw  him  only  for  a  few  minutes 
and  in  the  presence  of  two  other  priests.  This,  as  I 
took  it,  was  intended  on  his  part  as  a  precaution 
against  suspicion  of  his  friendliness.  That  he  had  no 
news  for  me  was  evident  from  his  not  passing  me  a 
note,  though  three  or  four  opportunities  offered  for 
him  to  do  so  without  detection. 

A  few  days  later  I  had  a  still  greater  surprise  than 
the  mystery  of  the  envoy  to  Mexico.  It  came  in  the 
form  of  an  invitation  for  the  Lieutenant  and  myself 
to  dine  at  Don  Pedro's.  Hope,  ever  unquenchable  in 
the  heart  of  a  lover,  told  me  that  the  don  had  repented 
of  his  harsh  patriotism  and  was  thinking  to  save  his 


The  Insult  379 

niece  from  a  fate  worse  than  death.  Never  was  a  lover 
more  bitterly  disappointed!  Don  Pedro  and  Dona 
Marguerite  received  us  with  the  most  suave  and  cor 
dial  hospitality  —  but  Alisanda  did  not  appear. 

In  answer  to  the  Lieutenant's  inquiries,  Dona  Mar 
guerite  explained,  with  affected  regret,  that  Senorita 
Alisanda  was  indisposed,  and  so  could  not  join  us.  I 
needed  no  more  to  assure  me  that  the  dear  girl  was 
under  restraint.  What  I  could  not  understand  was 
why  I  should  have  been  invited  to  dine. 

The  nearest  I  could  come  to  an  explanation  was 
a  repeated  assurance  from  Don  Pedro  that  he  and 
his  friends  were  doing  their  utmost  to  persuade  Sal- 
cedo  that  it  would  be  advisable  to  hurry  me  out  of  the 
country  with  my  fellow  members  of  the  expedition. 
This  I  took  as  an  intimation  that  our  host  still  re 
garded  me  as  a  friend,  but  that  the  sooner  I  was  sent 
away  from  Chihuahua  the  more  pleased  he  would  be. 
When  we  left,  shortly  before  the  beginning  of  the 
siesta,  I  had  not  been  favored  with  so  much  as  a 
glimpse  of  my  lady,  nor  even  of  Chita. 

That  evening  we  went  to  bid  farewell  to  Colonel 
Mayron,  who  had  been  ordered  to  a  command  in  So- 
nora.  Dona  Dolores  had  no  word  for  me  other  than 
her  assurance  that  I  might  rely  upon  the  constancy  of 
Alisanda.  Of  that  I  was  already  certain,  yet  it 
pleased  me  to  receive  the  confirmation  of  the  fact  from 
her  true  friend. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  experienced  a  kind  of  savage 
joy  when  Malgares  took  occasion  to  draw  me  aside 


380  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

and  warn  me  that  Medina  was  looking  for  the  first 
opportunity  to  force  a  duel.  I  made  no  other  reply 
than  to  request  that  every  effort  be  made  to  keep  Pike 
in  ignorance  of  my  private  troubles,  and  to  ask  Mal- 
gares  to  act  as  my  second. 

Being  at  such  a  disadvantage  with  the  Govern 
ment,  I  thought  it  as  well  to  refrain  from  explaining 
that  Medina  would  not  need  to  force  me  very  hard  to 
reach  an  issue.  Also  I  feared  that  a  display  of  eager 
ness  on  my  part  might  cause  even  so  noted  a  duellist 
as  the  aide  to  hesitate,  and  I  had  become  desperately 
desirous  to  break  the  blockade  of  events. 

Medina  did  not  keep  me  waiting  long.  The  follow 
ing  afternoon  he  found  his  opportunity  in  a  message 
to  us  from  Salcedo.  As  an  officer,  he  was  careful  to 
attend  first  to  his  official  business,  which  proved  to  be 
of  a  character  well  suited  to  his  temper.  I  happened 
to  be  in  one  of  the  rear  rooms  when  Walker  ushered 
him  in  to  where  Pike  was  thumbing  over  his  beloved 
Pope's  "  Essay  on  Man." 

Recognizing  Medina's  carefully  modulated  voice,  I 
lingered  to  adjust  my  cravat  with  an  extra  touch. 
When  I  entered,  the  Lieutenant  was  in  the  midst  of 
a  reply  to  some  remark  by  the  aide:  "  —  There 
fore,  Mr.  Robinson  and  I  have  considered  ourselves 
at  liberty  to  discuss  what  we  pleased,  and  as  we 
pleased." 

Medina  met  my  half  bow  with  a  scowl. 

"  May  I  inquire  the  purpose  of  our  distinguished 
guest's  presence  with  us? "  I  asked. 


The  Insult  381 

"  He  brings  word  from  the  Governor- General  that 
it  is  high  time  we  put  on  muzzles,"  replied  Pike,  with 
one  of  his  rare  flashes  of  anger. 

"  For  Dios!  "  I  mocked.  "  Can  it  be  Don  Nimesio 
Salcedo  does  not  admire  our  teeth?  " 

"  Were  I  His  Excellency/'  growled  Medina,  "  cer 
tain  teeth  would  be  gnawing  crusts  in  the  calabozo" 

"  But  as  it  is,  Lieutenant  de  Gonzales  y  Medina 
comes  as  an  aide  in  the  service  of  His  Excellency," 
suggested  Walker. 

The  hint  was  sufficient  to  smooth  Medina's  ruffled 
front.  He  fixed  his  gaze  upon  Pike,  and  addressed 
him  with  the  most  formal  politeness:  "  Then  you 
admit,  senor,  that  yourself  and  Senor  Robinson  have 
persistently  and  deliberately  inculcated  and  dissemi 
nated  republican  principles  throughout  the  period  of 
your  presence  in  New  Spain? " 

"  It  is  true,"  replied  Pike.  "  We  came  to  Chihua 
hua  at  the  insistence  of  His  Excellency,  yet  have  been 
assured  that  we  are  not  to  regard  ourselves  as  pris 
oners.  Why,  then,  should  we  not  discuss  topics  of 
world-wide  interest  with  the  same  freedom  we  should 
enjoy  in  our  own  country?" 

"  Lieutenant  Pike  overlooks  the  delicacy  of  his 
situation." 

"  My  compliments  to  His  Excellency,"  retorted 
Pike.  "  My  country  is  yet  young  and  poor.  It  may 
as  yet  lack  strength  to  resent  the  outrages  of  Britain 
and  France.  But  present  to  His  Excellency  the  as 
surance  of  my  confidence  that  the  Republic  can  exact 


382  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

reprisals  for  injuries  to  its  citizens  and  officers  in 
flicted  by  a  secondary  power." 

"Satanas!"  swore  the  aide.  "You  dare  name 
the  great  Kingdom  of  Spain  as  not  among  the  first 
of  the  powers? " 

"  The  sun  of  Spain  is  fast  setting.  Your  states 
men  sneer  at  the  mistakes  and  seeming  weakness  of 
the  United  States.  I  predict  that  unless  Spain  elects 
for  freedom,  within  a  century  she  will  be  shorn  of  the 
last  of  her  glory,  while  free  America  shall  grow  in 
might  beyond  the  grandest  dreams  of  her  citizens!  " 

"  It  is  with  the  present  we  have  now  to  deal,  senor," 
sneered  Medina.  "  His  Excellency  sends  you  fair 
warning.  Those  who  have  permitted  you  to  indulge 
in  your  Jacobinical  and  atheistic  discourse  in  their 
company,  and  in  particular  those  who  have  themselves 
indulged  in  the  treasonous  discussions,  are  all  noted, 
and  their  cases  will  be  attended  to  in  due  time." 

"  That,  senor,  is  doubtless  one  of  the  prerogatives 
arrogated  to  itself  by  tyranny,"  said  Pike.  "  As  for 
Senor  Robinson  and  myself,  we  are  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  and  not  subjects  of  His  Most  Catholic 
Majesty.  We  propose  to  continue  to  express  our 
opinions  freely  on  all  subjects." 

"  I  shall  report  your  reply  to  His  Excellency," 
said  Medina,  rising.  "  Rest  assured  your  conduct 
will  be  represented  in  no  very  favorable  view  to  your 
Government." 

"  As  an  officer  of  the  army  of  the  Republic,  I  am 
responsible  to  my  Government,  and  to  none  other," 


The  Insult  383 

replied  Pike,  now  fairly  boiling  with  rage.  Fearful  of 
his  dignity,  he  gave  Medina  a  curt  bow,  and  withdrew 
to  our  bedchamber. 

"  Nom  de  Dieu! "  gasped  Walker,  astonished  that 
any  one  could  have  so  dared  the  power  of  the 
Governor-  General. 

Medina  looked  aside  at  me,  and  saw  me  smiling. 

"  Senor  Robinson  is  pleased  to  be  amused,"  he 
said  with  a  feline  suavity  which  told  me  the  time  had 
come. 

"  It  is  most  amusing,  senor,"  I  replied.  "  That 
any  one  could  be  foolish  enough  to  imagine  the  possi 
bility  of  intimidating  Lieutenant  Zebulon  Mont 
gomery  Pike  is  little  short  of  ridiculous." 

"  Por  Dios!  Say  rather  it  is  an  absurdity  to  expect 
courteous  compliance  from  the  bearer  of  so  barbarous 


a  name." 


"  How  of  my  name?  "  I  asked,  with  mock  concern. 
"  Is  it  also  displeasing  to  you?  " 

He  stepped  close  to  me,  with  a  menacing  look. 
'  Your  name,  Senor  Spy,  is  one  to  be  linked  in 
infamy  with  that  of  your  double-dyed  traitor,  Gen 
eral  Wilkinson,  who  for  twenty  years  and  more 
has  been  in  the  regular  pay  of  His  Most  Catholic 
Majesty." 

My  palm  struck  full  across  his  mouth  with  a  force 
that  sent  him  reeling.  For  a  moment  he  stood  in 
speechless  fury,  plucking  at  his  swordhilt.  I  grasped 
the  back  of  the  chair  in  which  I  had  been  sitting,  for 
my  pistols  were  in  the  bedchamber,  and  I  had  no 


384  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

mind  to  be  run  through.  But  Walker  stepped  be 
tween  us,  and  muttered  a  hasty  word  to  Medina.  The 
latter  made  a  sign  for  him  to  follow,  and  strode  out 
into  the  court.  Walker  was  out  and  back  in  two 
minutes. 

"  Sacre!  "  he  protested,  in  great  concern.  "  What 
am  I  to  do?  He  insists  that  I  shall  serve  as  his  second. 
Yet  with  you  as  my  guest  —  " 

"Accept,  by  all  means.  It  would  give  me  great 
pleasure.  My  one  desire  is  to  keep  this  from  my 
friend.  The  fewer  who  know  of  it  the  better." 

"  But  a  second  for  yourself? "  he  questioned. 
"  Entre  nous,  I  should  far  prefer  to  serve  you  than 
your  opponent." 

"  My  thanks.  But  doubtless  Lieutenant  Don  Fa- 
ciendo  will  second  me.  I  will  call  upon  him  at  once, 
and  you  can  follow  with  such  communications  as 
Lieutenant  Medina  desires  to  transmit." 

"  At  your  bidding,  doctor.  Nom  de  Dieu!  what  a 
blow  you  gave  him!  and  with  the  open  hand!  My 
lips  are  now  sealed  —  yet  it  is  a  fact  that  you  have 
choice  of  weapons.  You  will  of  course  advise  with 
Lieutenant  Malgares." 

I  waved  him  off,  and  as  he  went  out  again  to  tell 
Medina  he  would  serve,  I  hastened  in  to  Pike.  He 
was  pacing  up  and  down  the  bedchamber  like  a  caged 
panther. 

"  Has  he  gone?  "  he  demanded.  I  nodded.  "  It 's 
well  —  it's  well!  I  could  not  answer  for  the  conse 
quences  should  I  have  to  face  his  sneer  again  before 


The  Insult  385 

I  Ve  had  time  to  cool.  By  the  Almighty,  had  he 
spoken  in  his  own  name  and  not  as  a  messenger,  I  'd 
have  challenged  him,  John!  " 

"Doubtless.     But  this  menace  by  the  Governor- 
General?  " 

"  It  cannot  be  he  will  go  to  extremes." 
"  Yet  would  it  not  be  as  well  to  consult  with  our 
friends?     They  may  have  knowledge   of   Salcedo's 
temper." 

"  We  can  rely  upon  Zuloaga  and,  I  believe,  your 
Don  Pedro." 

"  Go  to  them,  then,  and  I  will  look  for  Malgares." 

"  Very  well.     I  will  call  upon  Senor  Vallois,  and 

will  meet  you  later  at  Zuloaga's,  if  Malgares  can 


come." 


With  this,  we  threw  on  hat  and  coat  and  started 
off  in  the  gathering  twilight,  on  diverging  paths.  A 
few  minutes  of  sharp  walking  brought  me  to  the  May- 
ron  mansion,  where  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  find 
Malgares  at  home  and  alone.  Having  first  told  of 
Salcedo's  implied  threat,  I  stated  my  own  personal 
affair  briefly,  and  recalled  his  promise  to  act  as  my 
second. 

"  Poder  de  Dios!  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Nothing  would 
give  me  greater  pleasure.  You  will  choose  pistols?  " 

"  Can  he  shoot?  " 

"  Not  at  all." 

"  Then  let  it  be  swords,"  I  decided. 

"  Santisima  Virgen!  you  are  no  swordsman.  He 
will  spit  you  with  the  first  thrust  of  his  rapier." 

25 


386  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  I  said  swords,  Don  Faciendo.  My  thought  was 
the  straight  cutlass  of  your  Texas  cavalry.  I  have 
hefted  a  sabre,  and  your  cutlasses  must  swing  much 
the  same." 

"  It  is  true,  amigo,  that  the  regulation  cutlass  would 
put  you  to  a  slightly  less  disadvantage  compared  to 
the  rapier.  There  would  be  more  play  for  your 
strength.  Yet  Medina  is  an  expert  —  a  master 
swordsman.  You  would  have  no  chance.  He  means 
to  kill  you." 

"  I  have  quickness  and  strength.  The  odds  are 
not  so  great  as  you  fear.  But  with  pistols,  he  would 
be  absolutely  at  my  mercy." 

"Then  you  insist?" 

A  lackey  announced  Walker. 

"  I  insist,"  I  replied,  as  Walker  bowed  himself  in. 

"  What  time?  "  asked  Malgares. 

"  The  sooner  the  better." 

At  this  he  excused  himself,  and  conducted  Walker 
into  another  room.  I  spent  the  brief  interval  of  wait 
ing  admiring  a  glorious  painting  by  Velasquez  for 
which  Malgares  had  paid  a  fabulous  sum  in  gold 
ingots.  My  enjoyment  was  not  forced  or  feigned. 
With  the  assurance  of  action  in  the  immediate  future, 
I  really  felt  lighter  and  easier  in  mind  than  at  any 
time  since  the  ball. 

Malgares  returned,  with  a  clouded  brow.  "  He 
was  astonished.  I  do  not  wonder.  Men  nowadays 
are  not  usually  so  chivalrous  as  to  give  the  game  into 
the  hands  of  their  opponents." 


The  Insult  387 

"  It  is  a  case  of  two  sets  of  loaded  dice,"  I  replied. 
"  Mine  are  loaded  beyond  all  question  of  fair  play." 

"  And  his  the  same!  " 

"  That  is  to  be  seen.  You  accepted  the  challenge? 
All  is  arranged? " 

Malgares  nodded,  still  troubled.  "  I  could  do  norfe 
else.  We  meet  them  at  sunrise  to-morrow,  at  the  east 
end  of  the  aqueduct.  It  is  possible  we  may  have  use 
for  your  pistols.  Have  them  ready.  I  shall  call  for 
you  in  good  time,  with  my  coach." 

"  You  think  there  may  be  need  of  it  to  bring  me 
home,"  I  rallied  him. 

"God  forbid!"  he  protested,  crossing  himself. 
"  My  only  thought  was  that  you  might  pass  un 
observed." 

"  True,"  I  replied,  and  I  hastened  to  explain  my 
reasons  for  not  wishing  Pike  to  become  involved  in 
the  affair. 

I  was  barely  in  time,  for  I  had  no  more  than  fin 
ished  when  the  Lieutenant  was  announced.  Not  find 
ing  Don  Pedro  at  home,  he  had  called  upon  two  or 
three  other  friends,  who  had  expressed  great  concern 
for  our  safety,  and  advised  him  to  consult  with  Mal 
gares.  Don  Faciendo  looked  grave,  but  expressed 
a  belief  that  all  would  be  well  if  we  held  on  as  before 
with  a  bold  front.  This  was  also  the  opinion  of  the 
friends  with  whom  we  spent  the  evening  at  Senor 
Zuloaga's. 


CHAPTER   XXX 

. 

THE  DUEL 

UPON  our  return  to  Walker's  quarters,  the 
Lieutenant,  who  had  been  working  hard  all 
day,  at  once  retired.  I  remained  up  long  enough  to 
load  my  pistols,  and  write,  first,  a  farewell  letter  to 
my  lady,  and  second,  a  note  to  my  friend  explaining 
that  I  was  to  start  early  on  a  coach  ride  with  Malgares. 
This  I  left  with  old  Caesar,  whom  Walker  had  already 
instructed  to  rouse  us  before  dawn. 

Faithful  to  orders,  the  old  black  had  us  out  a  good 
hour  before  sunrise,  and  a  biscuit  and  pot  of  chocolate 
ready  for  our  refreshment.  We  dressed  and  ate  and 
made  off,  leaving  Pike  still  fast  asleep.  Walker 
fetched  his  horse  from  the  stables  in  the  rear  of  the 
courtyard,  and  conducted  me  as  far  as  the  street.  The 
expected  coach  was  just  wheeling  into  sight,  preceded 
by  a  pair  of  outriders  with  torches,  for  the  night  was 
as  black  as  Egypt. 

At  once  Walker  sprang  into  the  saddle  and  rode 
off  through  the  gloom  to  join  his  principal,  while  I 
ran  up  to  the  coach  and  slipped  in  beside  Malgares. 
With  that  the  gilded  carriage  swung  about  and 
rumbled  off  along  the  first  street  which  led  northward. 
Having  taken  possession  of  my  pistols  and  loading 


The  Duel  389 

outfit,  Malgares  asked  if  I  had  any  word  to  be  given 
to  Senorita  Vallois,  in  the  event  of  any  misfortune.  I 
handed  him  the  letter,  with  the  request  that  it  be  re 
turned  to  me  if  all  went  well. 

"  For  her  sake,  you  must  see  that  it  does  go  well!  " 
he  urged. 

"  It  is  for  her  I  fight.  In  any  event,  I  must  have 
struck  him  for  what  he  said.  For  whether  or  not  it 
is  true  General  Wilkinson  is  or  has  been  a  traitor,  in 
the  pay  of  your  Government,  Lieutenant  Medina  in 
tended  his  remark  as  a  deliberate  insult.  But  we  are 
alike  fully  aware  that  it  is  because  of  the  senorita  we 
now  meet." 

"God  grant  that  for  her  sake  you  may  win!  — 
You  will  win,  amigo!"  exclaimed  my  friend;  and 
with  that,  to  divert  my  thoughts,  he  fell  to  chatting 
about  various  light  subjects. 

Presently  the  coach  turned  eastward,  and,  after  a 
time,  southward.  The  gray  dawn  now  broke  the  dark 
ness,  and  the  outriders,  at  an  order  from  our  coach 
man,  flung  down  their  torches  and  rode  back  into  the 
city.  The  ruddy  gleams  of  the  full  dawn  shot  swiftly 
up  the  sky.  Our  driver  put  the  lash  to  his  horses,  and 
we  spun  along  through  a  dense  cloud  of  dust,  in  a  race 
with  the  sun. 

Just  as  the  upper  rim  of  the  blazing  orb  of  day 
peered  over  the  low  mountains  to  the  eastward,  the 
coach  drew  up  beneath  one  of  the  immense  arches  of 
the  aqueduct.  Malgares  caught  up  the  two  cutlasses, 
which  had  lain  beside  him  in  a  wrapping  of  buckskin, 


390          A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

and  sprang  out  to  meet  Walker,  who  was  advancing 
from  around  the  corner  of  the  massive  aqueduct  pier. 
They  bowed  and  exchanged  a  few  words,  and  Mal- 
gares,  having  handed  the  swords  to  Walker,  came  back 
to  the  coach. 

"  Permit  me  to  assist  you  in  removing  your  hat, 
cravat,  coat,  and  waistcoat,"  he  said. 

I  stripped  to  my  shirt,  delighted  to  be  freed  of  the 
encumbering  garments. 

"  We  meet  on  the  east  side  of  the  pier,"  he  ex 
plained;  and  taking  my  arm,  he  led  me  beneath  the 
colossal  arch  to  the  corner. 

A  step  around  brought  us  face  to  face  with  Walker 
and  Medina.  Their  horses,  with  the  bridle  reins 
thrown  over  head  upon  the  ground  after  the  custom 
of  the  country,  stood  at  a  little  distance,  cropping 
the  dry  grass.  The  ground  for  several  paces  along 
side  and  out  from  the  pier  was  smooth  and  of  a 
firm,  dry,  gritty  earth.  Medina,  who  had  stripped 
in  the  same  fashion  as  myself,  was  looking  at 
the  cutlasses,  which  Walker  was  holding  up  to  his 
view. 

When  we  turned  the  corner,  Medina  immediately 
stepped  back  half  a  dozen  paces,  with  a  readiness  that 
showed  his  experience  in  the  formalities  of  the  code 
duello.  Malgares  left  me  and  stepped  forward  beside 
Walker.  They  first  measured  and  examined  the  cut 
lasses,  then  exchanged  a  few  words  in  a  low  tone. 
Medina  cast  an  impatient  glance  at  the  sun,  which 
was  now  clearing  the  horizon. 


The  Duel  391 

Malgares  raised  his  hand,  and  stated,  first  to  Me 
dina,  then  to  me :  '  The  principals  will  take  position, 
at  sword's-length,  facing  as  at  present.  At  the  word, 
'  On  guard ! '  given  by  Lieutenant  Walker,  they  will 
begin  action.  At  the  word  '  Arreste! '  by  either  sec 
ond,  the  principals  will  instantly  cease  action.  Senor, 
do  you  comprehend? " 

"  Si,  sefior,"  replied  Medina. 

"  Si,  senor,"  I  answered,  in  turn. 

We  were  each  handed  a  cutlass,  and  led  up  within 
striking  distance.  Malgares  and  Walker  drew  back 
three  paces. 

"  On  guard! "  cried  Walker,  in  a  thin,  high  voice, 

Instantly  I  dropped  almost  to  the  ground  and 
made  a  long-armed  sweep  at  my  opponent's  knee.  He 
leaped  back  barely  in  time  to  save  himself  from  being 
hamstrung. 

"  Arreste! "  shrilled  Walker,  springing  between  us. 

I  rose  and  stood  back,  staring  from  him  to 
Malgares. 

"  What  now?  "  I  demanded. 

"  That  is  not  fencing,"  protested  Walker. 

"  No.    It  is  fighting,"  I  retorted. 

Walker  wheeled  about  and  exchanged  whispers  with 
his  principal.  He  turned  again,  to  address  Malgares : 
"  My  principal  demands  that  the  duel  shall  be  accord 
ing  to  the  rules  of  swordsmanship." 

"Enough!"  I  exclaimed.  "If  he  wishes  me  to 
stand  erect,  I  will  stand  erect.  Only  do  not  again 
interrupt." 


392  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  Very  well,"  replied  Walker,  and  stepping  aside, 
he  for  the  second  time  gave  the  signal:  "  On  guard!  " 

I  whirled  up  my  cutlass.  Medina  stabbed  at  my 
heart.  For  all  the  quickness  with  which  I  bent  to  the 
right,  his  point  gashed  full  through  my  left  arm.  But 
already  my  sword  was  descending  in  a  sweeping 
stroke,  and  the  fierce  sting  of  my  wound  gave  all  the 
more  force  to  the  blow.  Medina  tore  free  his  blade 
and  whirled  it  up  between  my  descending  cutlass 
and  his  head.  But  for  his  quickness,  I  believe  I  should 
have  split  his  skull  to  the  chin. 

Given  a  fraction  of  a  second  more  time,  he,  being 
so  skilled  a  swordsman,  might  even  have  glanced  my 
stroke,  despite  its  weight.  As  it  was,  the  edge  of  my 
blade  caught  the  flat  of  his  at  a  square  angle,  and 
drove  it  down  upon  his  head  close  above  the  temple. 
He  fell  like  a  steer  beneath  the  poleaxe,  while  my 
sword  blade  broke  clean  off,  a  span  beyond  the  hilt, 
and  whirred  down  upon  the  dry  soil. 

"  Dios!  "  cried  Malgares. 

"  Arreste! "  shrilled  Walker,  springing  to  stoop 
over  the  fallen  man.  "  Sacre!  I  thought  him  dead. 
He  is  only  stunned." 

In  confirmation  of  this,  Medina  stirred,  opened  his 
eyes,  and,  assisted  by  Walker,  staggered  to  his  feet. 

"  Senor  Walker,"  demanded  Malgares,  "  as  your 
principal  is  the  challenger,  I  now  ask  if  he  is  satisfied." 

Medina  muttered  something  in  the  ear  of  Walker, 
who  replied  to  the  inquiry:  "  Senor,  we  contend  that, 
so  far,  the  honors  are  even.  My  principal  has  been 


"  He  fell  like  a  steer :    my  swordblade  broke  clean  off,  a  span 
beyond  the  hilt " 


The  Duel  393 

stunned,  yours  wounded.  By  the  time  Sefior  Robin 
son's  injury  is  bound  up,  Lieutenant  Medina  will  have 
recovered  a  clear  head." 

"  The  sword  of  my  principal  is  broken,"  objected 
Malgares,  as  he  spoke  producing  the  bandage  I  had 
provided.  No  artery  having  been  severed,  there  was 
no  need  of  a  tourniquet,  and  he  bound  up  the  wound 
during  the  discussion. 

Walker  consulted  Medina,  and  replied:  "  We  hold 
that  each  principal  was  given  a  sword  of  equal  quality, 
and  that  the  duel  must  continue  until  the  matter  is 
settled." 

"  Good!  "  I  exclaimed  to  Malgares,  before  he  could 
remonstrate.  "  We  continue  to  fight  each  with  his 
weapon.  I  shall  use  my  broken  blade  as  a  dart  and 
the  hilt  as  a  tomahawk.  I  am  far  better  armed  than 
before." 

At  this  Medina  drew  away  for  a  consultation  with 
his  second.  Walker  came  back  alone. 

*'  We  protest  against  the  use  of  our  opponent's 
sword  as  a  missile,"  he  stated. 

"  We  refuse  to  consider  the  protest,"  rejoined 
Malgares. 

"  We  then  suggest  that  the  fight  be  continued  with 
rapiers.  My  principal  has  a  pair  at  hand." 

"  The  naming  of  the  weapons  lies  with  my  princi 
pal,"  replied  Malgares.  "  If  you  insist  upon  a  second 
choice,  we  name  duelling  pistols,  with  which  we  have 
come  provided." 

Walker  returned  to  Medina,  and  after  a  brief  con- 


394  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

sultation,  brought  us  his  assent  to  the  use  of  pistols. 
Malgares  immediately  conducted  me  around  to  the 
coach.  As  we  turned  the  corner,  we  were  astonished 
to  see  Father  Rocus  racing  toward  us  on  a  large  white 
mule.  He  waved  his  hand  to  us,  and  urged  his  mule  to 
yet  greater  speed  as  Malgares  drew  out  the  pistols  and 
turned  to  go  back. 

'  Wait!  "  I  said.  "  The  padre  wishes  to  speak  to 
me.  Insist  upon  Medina  firing  both  pistols  as  a  test. 
That  will  give  me  time.  Walker  knows  my  manner 
of  loading." 

Malgares  nodded  and  disappeared  as  Father 
Rocus  galloped  up  and  drew  rein  beside  the  coach, 
purple-faced  and  gasping  for  breath.  I  gave  him 
my  right  shoulder,  else  he  would  have  fallen  in  his 
descent. 

"  Virgen! "  he  panted.  "  It  is  over  already!  You 
have  killed  him! " 

"  No.  We  have  tried  swords  without  success. 
Now  it  will  be  the  pistols.  I  will  shatter  his  right 
shoulder  in  the  joint.  He  shall  boast  no  more  of  his 
swordsmanship." 

ff  Nada,  my  son!  That  is  not  enough.  Carrajo! 
He  must  die!  Listen!  This  scoundrel  has  wormed 
himself  into  all  the  secrets  of  the  revolution.  He  has 
demanded  Alisanda  as  his  price  —  " 

"  My  God!  "  I  cried.    "  But  Salcedo  —  ?  " 

"  If  she  could  put  her  heart  into  luring  him,  Sal 
cedo  might  be  won  over.  But  now  this  scoundrel 
calls  checkmate.  He  pledges  faith  to  the  revolution 


The  Duel  395 

in  return  for  her  hand.  Carrajo!  I  now  know  the 
utmost  of  his  baseness.  He  pledges  faith,  yet,  once 
he  has  her,  thinks  to  betray  all  and  gain  the  estate  of 
her  uncle  as  reward  for  his  treachery." 

"God!  "I  cried. 

A  shot  rang  out  on  the  far  side  of  the  pier. 

"  What  is  that?  "  exclaimed  the  padre. 

I  explained,  and  my  statement  was  punctuated  with 
the  report  of  the  second  pistol. 

"  So  —  he  has  tried  them,"  said  the  padre.  "  Now 
they  will  be  reloaded.  You  will  kill  him,  my  son !  It 
is  God's  will!  .  .  .  Malgares  is  not  yet  of  the  revolu 
tion,  but  he  is  a  true  friend  of  Don  Pedro.  At  dawn 
I  went  to  appeal  to  him  to  challenge  Medina  —  His 
wife  confessed  that  he  had  come  here  as  your  second. 
I  have  ridden  at  breakneck  speed  —  God  be  praised, 
I  am  in  time!  You  will  kill  the  traitor!  " 

"  You  are  in  time,"  I  said.  "  I  will  place  my  ball 
so  exactly  between  his  eyes  that  you  cannot  measure 
a  hair's-breadth  farther  on  the  one  side  than  on  the 
other." 

"  God  bless  you,  my  son!  You  will  save  Alisanda 
and  the  revolution  with  the  same  shot!  " 

"  I  did  not  suspect  that  you  were  one  of  the  revolu 
tionists,"  I  muttered. 

"  For  years,  —  like  Padre  Hidalgo  in  the  South. 
But  come.  Malgares  signs  to  us." 

We  hastened  forward  to  the  corner  of  the  pier, 
where  Malgares  stood  ready  to  hand  me  my  pistol. 
Medina  already  was  in  waiting,  ten  paces  from  the 


396  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

spot  to  which  Malgares  led  me.  At  sight  of  Father 
Hocus,  the  aide  and  Walker  started.  But  the  padre 
at  once  reassured  them:  "  It  is  well,  gentlemen.  I 
come  only  to  act  as  witness." 

Walker  bowed.  "  Your  Reverence  is  welcome. 
Senor  Robinson,  the  terms  have  been  stated  to  my 
principal.  I  now  repeat  them.  You  will  each  stand 
in  the  present  position,  with  pistol  pointed  upward. 
Lieutenant  Malgares  will  say, '  One,  two,  three.  Fire ! 
One,  two,  three.'  At  the  word  '  Fire! '  you  can  aim 
and  fire,  during  the  time  of  the  second  count  of  three. 
If  either  fires  before  the  word,  or  after  the  count,  you 
know  the  penalty.  Gentlemen,  are  you  ready? " 

Medina  and  I  bowed,  and  Walker  took  his  station 
with  Father  Rocus  and  Malgares  against  the  face  of 
the  pier,  out  of  the  line  of  fire. 

"Ready!"  called  Malgares.  We  raised  our  pis 
tols  as  directed.  "One!"  he  counted.  "Two!  —  " 

Down  came  Medina's  pistol!  I  saw  the  black  dot 
of  the  muzzle  only  to  lose  it  instantly  in  a  puff 
of  smoke.  The  ball  grazed  the  side  of  my  head.  So 
unexpected  and  sudden  was  the  dastardly  deed,  I 
stood  motionless,  the  report  of  the  pistol  ringing  in 
my  ears,  but  listening  for  Malgares  to  continue  the 
count.  Instead  he  uttered  a  sharp  cry  and  rushed 
upon  Medina.  Before  the  aide  could  so  much  as  turn, 
Malgares's  Toledo  lunged  through  his  heart. 

Whipping  his  sword  from  the  body  as  it  fell  prone, 
Malgares  faced  Walker,  with  his  head  high  and  his 
eyes  flashing. 


The  Duel  397 

"  Witness!  "  he  demanded. 

Walker  bowed.  "  He  fired  before  the  word.  You 
have  done  right  to  strike  him  dead." 

"You  have  done  right!  Satanas  has  claimed  his 
own!"  confirmed  Father  Rocus.  Suddenly  he 
thought  of  me  and  hastened  to  my  side.  ;<  We  for 
get  Juan!  My  son,  did  the  ball  strike  you? " 

I  put  up  my  hand  and  reached  out  to  him  one  of 
my  locks,  which  had  been  clipped  by  the  ball. 

"  So  close  as  that!  "  exclaimed  Walker. 

"  You  know  the  saying,  c  A  miss  is  as  good  as  a 
mile,'  "  I  replied,  as  Malgares  took  my  loaded  pistol 
and  carefully  lowered  the  trigger.  "  The  question 
now  is  to  agree  on  an  account  for  His  Excellency  that 
will  clear  my  noble  friend  and  second,  and  place  all  the 
blame  upon  me,  where  it  belongs." 

"  Nada!  "  rejoined  Malgares.  "  He  shall  know  the 
exact  truth." 

"  Leave  the  matter  to  me,"  said  Father  Rocus. 
"  You  know  my  standing  with  the  Governor- General. 
I  engage  to  prevent  any  unpleasant  consequences." 

"  But  —  the  —  body?  "  murmured  Walker,  glanc 
ing  askance  at  Medina's  huddled  corpse. 

"  I  will  take  it  in  my  coach,"  said  Malgares,  without 
hesitation.  "  You  will  ride  his  horse,  and  lend  your 
own  to  Senor  Robinson." 

We  each  offered  to  take  his  place  in  the  grewsome 
part  he  had  chosen.  But  all  that  he  would  accept  of  us 
was  our  assistance  in  stanching  the  wound  and  carry 
ing  the  body  to  the  coach.  Walker  then  set  off  ahead 


398  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

to  notify  Medina's  servants,  while  Father  Hocus  and 
I  returned  to  the  city  by  a  roundabout  road. 

The  moment  we  were  alone  I  asked  my  companion 
a  dozen  and  one  questions  about  Alisanda. 

He  shook  his  head  to  them  all.  "  There  is  nothing 
to  tell,  Juan,  other  than  she  is  holding  out  bravely 
against  their  persuasions  and  commands.  The  point 
now  is  to  convince  Salcedo  that  the  death  of  Medina 
has  rid  him  of  one  rival,  and  that  he  can  free  himself 
of  another  by  sending  you  away  with  your  indomitable 
friend." 

"  But  if  it  is  to  leave  her  behind  —  !  "  I  cried. 

"  We  shall  see  about  that  in  due  course,"  he  replied. 
"  One  thing  at  a  time.  Rome  was  not  built  in  a  day. 
Now  ride  on,  and  leave  me,  my  son.  We  approach 
streets  where  we  are  both  known.  Adios!  " 

There  was  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to  obey. 


CHAPTER   XXXI 

MY  CROSS 

UPON  my  return  I  found  the  Lieutenant  so  pre 
occupied  over  an  intended  visit  to  Salcedo  that 
one  or  two  vague  answers  satisfied  his  curiosity  about 
my  early  morning  excursion.  He  started  out  at  last, 
an  hour  or  so  before  noon,  when  I  contrived  with  the 
help  of  old  Cassar  to  wash  my  wound  and  dress  it  in 
proper  manner.  Lest  the  Lieutenant  or  any  one  else 
should  notice  something  amiss  and  make  inquiries,  I 
told  Csesar  he  might  say  I  had  been  bitten  by  a  scor 
pion,  of  which,  truth  to  tell,  there  were  enough  and  to 
spare  in  and  about  Chihuahua. 

The  Lieutenant  returned  much  sooner  than  I  had 
expected.  He  had  been  informed  that  His  Excel 
lency  was  closeted  with  Father  Hocus,  and  could  see 
no  callers.  This  he  took  as  an  unfavorable  indication 
of  Salcedo's  temper,  until  I  assured  him  I  had  reason 
to  believe  that  the  padre  was  a  friend  and  had  called 
on  the  Governor-General  in  our  behalf.  The  con 
firmation  came  during  the  afternoon  in  the  form  of  a 
polite  message,  brought  by  Walker,  requesting  Pike 
to  call  at  the  palacio  that  evening  without  ceremony. 

When  he  returned,  it  was  with  the  news  that  all  was 
settled  except  as  to  myself.  The  papers  of  the  expe- 


400  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

dition  were  to  be  held,  but  Pike  and  the  six  men  with 
him  were  to  march  for  Natchitoches  in  three  or  four 
days,  to  be  followed  shortly  by  the  detachment  under 
Sergeant  Meek,  which  all  this  time  had  been  carefully 
held  back  somewhere  on  the  El  Paso  road.  The  Lieu 
tenant  was  inclined  to  be  anxious  over  my  fate,  but  I 
could  not  but  trust  to  the  good  offices  of  Father 
Rocus. 

He  met  the  padre  at  Salcedo's  table  the  following 
noon,  and  answered  in  his  usual  fearless  manner  the 
adroit  questions  put  to  him  by  His  Reverence.  This, 
I  believe,  must  have  proved  the  last  straw  to  the 
Governor- General,  for  that  evening,  while  we  were 
visiting  Malgares,  Walker  brought  word  that  I  was 
free  to  accompany  Pike.  In  his  excitement,  he  spoke 
of  the  padre's  cleverness  in  mollifying  His  Excellency 
over  the  death  of  Medina,  but  Malgares  averted  a  dis 
closure  of  my  share  in  the  affair  by  the  laconic  state 
ment  to  Pike  that  he  had  killed  the  aide  during  a  duel. 

Such  a  happy  termination  of  the  affair  would  have 
given  me  great  satisfaction  had  I  not  been  distressed 
over  my  failure  to  hear  a  word  either  of  or  from 
Alisanda.  Even  Dona  Dolores  was  still  refused 
admittance  to  her. 

This  was  on  a  Sunday.  Monday  we  spent  in  our 
preparations  for  marching.  I  had  need  of  all  the  di 
version  I  could  find,  to  keep  down  the  maddening 
thought  that  I  should  have  to  go  without  seeing  my 
lady.  In  my  despair  I  called  upon  Father  Rocus, 
who  counselled  patience,  and  promised  to  do  what  he 


My  Cross  401 

could  to  obtain  for  me  a  last  meeting.  But  he  warned 
me  that  even  should  he  succeed,  I  could  expect  to  see 
her  only  in  the  presence  of  the  family.  I  begged  him 
to  give  me  some  hope  for  the  future.  But  he  shook 
his  head. 

"  Sabe  Dios!  —  Quien  sabe?  "  he  said.  "  All  that 
I  can  now  say  is  that,  if  she  cannot  follow  you  to  your 
free  republic,  she  will  take  the  veil." 

"  No!  "  I  cried.    "  I  cannot  give  her  up! " 

"You  can  if  you  must,  my  son.  There  are  few 
mortals  who  at  some  time  during  their  lives  do  not 
have  to  bear  a  heavy  cross.  If  this  one  is  laid  upon 
your  shoulders,  you  will  bear  it  with  manly  strength. 
But  there  is  still  a  hope  for  you.  I  shall  advise  with 
her  before  you  pay  your  farewell  call  at  Senor  Val- 
lois's.  If  there  seems  a  way  of  escape,  you  will  receive 
a  message  either  from  her  or  from  myself." 

I  thanked  the  good  padre,  and  left  him,  my  heart  in 
a  tumult  between  fondest  hope  and  blackest  despair. 

In  the  morning,  which  was  that  of  the  twenty-eighth 
of  April,  the  day  set  for  us  to  march,  we  visited  about 
the  city  to  say  farewell  to  all  our  friends.  But  when 
we  came  to  Don  Pedro's  I  informed  the  Lieutenant 
that  I  wished  him  to  make  only  a  brief  call  and  then 
go  without  me.  Malgares,  who  was  to  march  in  charge 
of  our  escort,  and  with  whom  we  had  called  upon  the 
weeping  Dona  Dolores,  assented  to  my  request  no 
less  heartily  than  did  Pike. 

As  I  had  expected,  Don  Pedro  and  Dona  Mar 
guerite  received  us  with  the  utmost  cordiality  —  but 

26 


402  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

alone.  In  the  midst  of  our  call  Father  Hocus  entered 
in  a  casual  manner,  but,  unlike  the  Vallois,  he  greeted 
us  with  a  marked  coolness.  I  was  seized  with  the 
dreadful  suspicion  that  he  had  all  along  been  playing 
double  with  me.  Yet  there  was  the  memory  of  that 
meeting  at  the  Parroquia  to  shame  my  doubt. 

Before  I  could  calm  my  thoughts,  Pike  and  Mal- 
gares  rose  to  leave.  I  followed  them  slowly  to  the 
door,  then  suddenly  turned  back  and  bent  upon  one 
knee  to  take  the  hand  of  Dona  Marguerite. 

"  Senora,"  I  begged,  "  for  the  love  of  God,  give 
me  a  last  word  with  her!  I  am  going  away  all  those 
thousands  of  miles  —  I  fear  I  shall  never  again  see 
her  —  have  pity  upon  me !  One  word,  senora !  " 

"  Ave  Maria  purisima! "  she  murmured,  bowing  her 
head  and  sighing. 

I  had  touched  her  heart.  Another  plea  might  have 
persuaded  her.  But  Don  Pedro  came  hastening  back, 
his  face  as  cold  and  hard  as  a  stone. 

"  Your  friends  will  be  delayed,  Senor  Robinson," 
he  said. 

"  Senor,"  I  replied,  rising  to  face  him,  "  at  the  least 
have  the  justice  to  hear  me  out.  You  know  that  I 
love  your  niece  with  my  whole  heart  and  body  and 
soul.  You  know  that  she  loves  me  with  a  love  that  will 
last  as  long  as  life  itself.  Our  love  was  born  the  first 
time  we  looked  into  each  other's  eyes ;  since  then  our 
love  has  never  wavered.  It  drew  me  to  her  over 
deserts  and  mountains,  through  wildernesses  before 
known  only  to  the  red  savages;  it  forced  me  to  face 


My  Cross  403 

singly  the  soldiers  and  prisons  and  garrottes  of  your 
tyrannical  rulers.  I  know  now  that  I  cannot  hope 
for  you  to  turn  from  your  cruel  purpose.  Yet  for  the 
sake  of  the  friendship  you  once  professed  to  bear  me 
and  for  the  sake  of  her  love,  give  me  at  least  a 
moment's  farewell  —  a  word  of  parting!  " 

Despite  the  desperate  earnestness  of  my  plea,  he 
stood  throughout  without  a  trace  of  relentment  in  his 
cold  face.  But  Dona  Marguerite  was  a  woman,  and 
I  had  spoken  from  the  depths  of  my  heart. 

"  Santisima  Firgen!  "  she  cried.  "  It  is  only  for  a 
last  moment's  adieu !  —  Padre !  padre,  advise  us !  " 

My  heart  gave  a  leap  of  wild  hope  as  I  saw  Don 
Pedro  look  about  at  the  padre  with  respectful 
attention. 

"  It  is  a  hard  question  to  decide,  my  children,"  de 
liberated  Father  Hocus.  "  It  may  well  cause  her  more 
sorrow  than  relief.  And  yet  —  and  yet  —  " 

He  paused  and  seemed  to  sink  into  prayerful  medi 
tation.  Don  Pedro  and  Dona  Marguerite  bowed  their 
heads  and  murmured  "  Ave!  "  I  stood  waiting,  in  a 
tremendous  stress  of  doubt  and  joy,  of  hope  and  de 
spair.  At  last  the  padre  raised  his  head,  and  pro 
nounced  his  opinion:  "  As  her  guardian,  Don  Pedro, 
yours  is  the  decision.  Yet  as  her  confessor,  I  advise, 
for  the  good  of  her  soul,  that  you  do  not  deprive  her 
of  this  last  consolation.  Even  the  meekest  will  rebel 
if  pressed  too  hard,  and  she  has  a  high  spirit." 

"  Since  you  advise  it,  padre,"  acquiesced  Don  Pedro, 
though  with  evident  reluctance.  "  For  the  good  of  her 


404  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

soul,  they  may  say  adieu.  But  it  must  be  here,  in 
our  presence." 

Dona  Marguerite  hastened  to  pull  the  bell-cord. 
Chita  appeared. 

"  Prepare  your  mistress  to  say  adieu  to  Senor 
Robinson." 

Chita  darted  away.  We  waited,  I  burning  with 
impatience,  the  others  murmuring  prayers.  At  last 
my  sweet  lady  appeared  in  the  curtained  doorway. 
Though  she  sought  to  smile,  her  face  was  wan  and 
sad,  and  her  beautiful  eyes  heavy  as  if  she  had  wept 
much  and  slept  little.  Had  not  Dona  Marguerite 
taken  the  precaution  to  lay  a  restraining  hand  on 
my  wrist,  I  should  have  rushed  forward  and  clasped 
the  poor  oppressed  darling  in  my  arms. 

We  were  permitted  to  approach  each  other.  I  bent 
on  one  knee  and  pressed  my  lips  to  the  little  white 
hand  she  gave  me.  The  others  watched  our  every 
movement  and  listened  for  every  word.  Yet  I  could 
not  restrain  myself  from  speaking  out  the  love  with 
which  my  heart  overflowed. 

"Dearest  one!"  I  murmured,  "it  seems  that  we 
must  now  part  —  it  may  be  forever !  I  do  not  see  how 
I  can  bear  to  lose  you,  my  darling.  But,  as  the  good 
padre  says,  we  all  have  our  crosses,  and  it  may  be  that 
strength  will  be  given  to  me  to  endure.  Yet  most  of 
all  my  heart  aches  for  your  grief,  Alisanda.  God 
grant  you  surcease  of  sorrow!  " 

My  voice  failed  me.  I  heard  Dona  Marguerite 
sob.  But  Alisanda  neither  wept  nor  sobbed.  She 


My  Cross  405 

gazed  upward,  with  a  spiritual  glow  in  her  dark 
eyes. 

"  God  will  do  unto  us  according  to  His  holy  will!  " 
she  said. 

" Ave  Maria  de  los  Dolores!"  sobbed  Dona 
Marguerite. 

Alisanda  looked  down  at  me  with  the  gaze  which 
opened  to  me  those  fathomless  wells  of  mystery. 

"  Juan,"  she  said,  "  they  tell  me  we  can  never  wed. 
If  such  be  the  will  of  God,  we  must  submit.  But  —  " 
She  held  up  the  gold  crucifix  of  the  rosary  which  hung 
about  her  neck  —  "  by  la  vera  cruz  I  vow  to  you,  be 
loved,  I  will  wed  none  other  mortal  than  yourself.  If 
I  may  not  be  your  bride,  I  will  become  the  bride  of 
Christ!" 

"  Caramba!  "  swore  Don  Pedro.  "  Recall  that  vow! 
I  command  you! " 

"  God  has  heard  it!  "  she  answered. 

"  The  vow  is  registered  in  heaven,"  confirmed 
Father  Hocus. 

"Absolve  her!"  demanded  the  don,  fairly  beside 
himself  with  chagrin  at  this  sudden  turn  that  threat 
ened  to  frustrate  all  his  designs. 

"  Peace,  peace,"  soothed  the  padre.  "  I  will  con 
sider  the  matter  with  prayer  and  meditation." 

"  Satanas! "  cried  Don  Pedro,  turning  upon  me 
in  a  rage.  "  But  for  you,  she  would  not  have  vowed! 
Go!  —  " 

"Nada!"  I  rejoined.  "You  said  I  could  bid  her 
farewell.  I  hold  you  to  your  word  as  a  gentleman." 


406  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

He  turned  on  his  heel,  and  strode  over  to  stand  be 
side  Father  Hocus,  doubtless  fearful  that  he  could  not 
otherwise  restrain  himself  from  attacking  me. 

"  Be  quick!  "  urged  Dona  Marguerite. 

Alisanda  took  the  rosary  from  about  her  white 
throat  and  held  it  out  to  me.  Her  voice  kept  to  the 
same  clear,  brave  note :  "  Adieu,  my  Juan!  We  part. 
You  are  not  a  Christian,  I  know,  yet  as  a  sign  for  the 
guidance  of  your  faith,  I  give  you  this  golden  symbol 
—  la  vera  crux!  " 

As  her  dear  hand  placed  the  cross  in  my  palm,  my 
love  and  despair  burst  all  bounds.  Forgetful  of  all 
else,  I  caught  her  to  me  and  pressed  my  lips  to  hers 
in  passionate  grief.  But  in  a  moment  she  was  torn 
from  me  by  Don  Pedro,  who  carried  her  off,  half 
fainting,  from  the  room.  I  would  have  followed  had 
not  Dona  Marguerite  and  Father  Hocus  clung  to  me 
on  either  side  and  implored  me  'to  leave  before  the  re 
turn  of  Don  Pedro. 

Half  stupefied  with  despair,  I  permitted  them  to 
lead  me  to  the  stairway,  where  Dona  Marguerite 
sobbed  out  an  "  Adios!  "  and  turned  back.  The  padre 
hurried  me  down  the  stairway  and  out  into  the  street, 
where,  after  a  hasty  benediction,  he  hastened  back  to 
pacify  the  violence  of  Don  Pedro. 


CHAPTER   XXXII 

THE   MESSAGE 

HE  left  me  none  too  soon.  I  could  hear  Don 
Pedro  cursing  furiously  in  the  courtyard.  Fear 
ful  that  if  matters  came  to  blows,  I  might  do  an  injury 
to  the  kinsman  of  my  lady,  I  dragged  myself  away, 
heavy  with  despair.  Not  until  I  was  half  across  the 
plaza  did  I  notice  that  I  still  held  her  rosary  in  my 
hand.  I  stared  at  the  little  gold  cross  with  bitter  ha 
tred.  It  seemed  so  harsh  a  mockery  that  she  should 
have  given  me  as  parting  gift  that  symbol  of  the  gulf 
that  now  yawned  between  us,  wider  and  deeper  than 
ever.  Yet  the  gift  was  from  her,  and  —  I  must  bear 
my  cross! 

For  a  moment  I  was  tempted  to  put  a  pistol  to 
my  head  and  end  all.  But  the  life  within  me  was  sane 
and  strong,  and  the  memory  of  my  lost  lady  too  sweet 
for  me  to  hurl  myself  into  the  unknown.  In  reflex 
from  that  last  black  thought  of  self-destruction  there 
came  to  me  even  a  feeble  consciousness  of  resignation 
—  a  feeling  that  for  her  sake  I  must  endeavor  to  live 
my  life  in  a  manner  worthy  of  her  memory.  And  this 
feeling  did  not  leave  me,  but  increased  in  strength 
throughout  the  weary  weeks  of  our  long  homeward 
journey. 


408  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

We  started  that  afternoon,  immediately  after  the 
siesta,  and  proceeded  in  a  southerly  direction  on  the 
road  toward  Durango.  But  I  do  not  propose  to  give 
here  the  tedious  details  of  our  trip.  Greatly  to  our 
disappointment,  a  few  days  brought  us  a  parting  from 
our  noble  friend  Malgares,  who  turned  over  his  in 
structions  and  despatch-pouch  to  a  Captain  Barelo. 
The  latter  took  us  so  far  south  before  rounding  the 
lower  end  of  the  terrible  Bolson  de  Mapimi  Desert 
that  we  at  one  time  thought  he  had  secret  orders  to 
march  us  to  the  City  of  Mexico. 

Whatever  the  object  of  this  long  detour,  it  served 
the  purpose  of  enabling  Pike  and  myself  to  take  many 
more  observations  of  the  mines,  towns,  and  other  fea 
tures  of  the  country  than  if  we  had  followed  a  shorter 
route.  By  the  time  we  had  swung  around,  north 
by  east,  up  through  the  Province  of  Coahuila,  and 
crossed  over  the  Rio  del  Norte,  which  here  is  more 
often  called  the  Rio  Grande,  we  had  all  but  one  of 
the  musket  barrels  closely  packed  with  notes. 

From  the  Rio  Grande  we  proceeded  northeastward, 
and  crossing  the  border  of  the  Province  of  Texas, 
arrived  at  San  Antonio  on  the  seventh  of  June.  Here 
we  were  received  with  the  utmost  hospitality  by  the 
gallant  and  beloved  General  Herrera  and  by  Governor 
Cordero,  who  took  us  into  his  own  quarters,  offered 
us  every  favor  within  his  power,  and  had  a  house  es 
pecially  prepared  for  the  men. 

Many  other  prominent  persons  of  the  town  were  no 
less  cordial  and  hospitable.  Among  them  was  a  Cap- 


The  Message  409 

tain  Ugarte,  to  whom  we  brought  letters  of  intro 
duction  from  Malgares.  His  charming  wife  Dona 
Anita  was  a  sister  of  Dona  Dolores.  Hardly  had 
we  been  introduced  to  her  when  the  kindly  senora 
led  me  aside  and  showed  me  a  letter  which  she  had 
received  from  Senora  Malgares  a  week  before  our 
arrival. 

"  My  sister  has  roused  my  deepest  interest,  Sefior 
Robinson,  by  the  story  of  your  doleful  separation  from 
your  Dulcinea,"  she  explained.  "  This  letter  begs  me 
to  do  what  little  I  can  to  console  you." 

"  You  are  most  kind,  senora,"  I  replied.  "  But  I 
know  of  nothing  —  unless  I  might  ask  you  to  send 
a  message  by  Dona  Dolores  to  Senorita  Alisanda." 

"Gladly!  Have  you  received  no  message  from 
her?" 

I  shook  my  head  sadly.  She  thought  a  moment, 
and  then  pressed  me  to  tell  her  of  my  last  meeting  with 
Alisanda.  The  moment  I  mentioned  the  cross  her 
face  brightened. 

"  Permit  me  to  see  the  rosary,"  she  said. 

I  drew  the  bittersweet  gift  from  my  bosom  and 
handed  it  over  to  her.  To  my  surprise,  she  began  to 
examine  the  beads  with  a  minute  scrutiny,  feeling 
and  shaking  each  in  turn  as  she  passed  it  along  the 
cord.  Whatever  she  had  thought  to  discover,  she 
found  nothing.  At  the  last  she  took  up  the  little 
crucifix  and  turned  it  over  in  her  slender  hand. 

"Ah!"  she  exclaimed,  holding  it  closer  to  her 
sparkling  eyes.  "  Her  name  is  Alisanda  Vallois." 


410  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"Alisanda  Vallois,"  I  repeated,  wondering  at  the 
remark. 

"  A.  V.  —  Alisanda  Vallois.  You  have  planned 
for  a  meeting  in  August?  " 

"  No,  senora.  We  did  not  plan.  I  have  heard  of 
no  such  plan." 

"  Santa  Maria!  Men  are  so  stupid!  "  she  rejoined. 
"Look,  there  is  your  message:  'AV — AUG'! 
What  ever  else  can  that  mean  than  Alisanda  Vallois, 
in  August? " 

"What?"  I  cried,  half  mad  with  delight.  "But 
where?  —  what  place,  senora?  Tell  me  where!" 

She  laughed  at  my  blindness.  "  Where,  senor? 
You  ask  that?  What  did  she  call  this  gift  —  the  exact 
words? " 

"  La  vera  cruz! "  Even  as  the  words  passed  my 
lips,  the  truth  flashed  upon  me.  I  had  indeed  been 
stupid  —  blind!  —  blind  not  to  have  seen  those  faintly 
scratched  letters  on  the  gold ;  stupid  not  to  have  joined 
the  symbolism  of  the  gift  to  her  words,  "  La  Vera 
Cruz  " ! 

I  kissed  the  senora' s  hand  with  a  fervor  which,  I 
trust,  did  not  disturb  the  peace  of  mind  of  Captain 
Ugarte.  Later  she  undertook  to  send  to  the  care  of 
Dona  Dolores  a  message  which,  for  the  sake  of  pre 
caution,  I  restricted  to  the  one  line :  — 

"  La  vera  cruz  is  my  guide  and  comforter." 

Despite  so  joyful  a  revelation  to  glorify  our  stay 
at  San  Antonio,  I  felt  no  regrets  when  another  week 
saw  us  started  on  to  the  north  and  east  for  Nacog- 


The  Message  411 

doches,  the  most  eastward  of  the  Spanish  presidios  in 
Texas. 

The  second  day  beyond  that  place  we  crossed  the 
Sabine,  and  were  left  by  our  Spanish  escort,  being 
in  the  neutral  zone. 

On  the  afternoon  of  July  the  first  we  at  last  arrived 
at  Natchitoches,  only  fifteen  days  short  of  a  full  year 
since  we  had  departed  on  our  long  and  eventful  jour 
ney  from  Belle  Fontaine. 

Such  greeting  as  we  received  from  our  officers  at 
the  fort  may  be  better  imagined  than  expressed.  And 
not  the  least  of  my  joys  upon  this  happy  occasion  was 
that  of  hearing  my  brave  and  resolute  friend  hailed 
by  his  fellows,  not  as  Lieutenant,  but  as  Captain! 
We  were  alike  astonished  and  gratified  to  learn  that 
he  had  been  entitled  to  that  advanced  rank  since  the 
twelfth  of  the  preceding  August.  What  was  more, 
his  services  had  been  most  handsomely  noticed  to 
Congress  by  President  Jefferson. 

As  the  Captain  had  arrived  at  the  journey's  end  out 
worn  and  in  miserable  health,  I  restrained  myself  to 
remain  with  him  long  enough  to  assist  in  arranging 
the  great  mass  of  notes  which,  to  the  exultant  delight 
of  our  countrymen,  we  brought  to  view  by  filing  off 
the  barrels  of  the  six  muskets. 

There  would  have  been  no  end  to  the  questions  of 
the  officers  of  the  fort  had  not  Pike  intimated  that  dis 
cretion  required  silence  with  regard  to  all  the  im 
portant  details  until  after  he  had  made  his  report 
to  General  Wilkinson  and  the  Secretary  of  War. 


412  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

The  doughty  General,  we  were  informed,  had  hur 
ried  east  to  Richmond  some  weeks  past,  to  take  part 
in  the  trial  of  Colonel  Burr  and  Harmon  Blenner- 
hasset  for  treason. 

But  as  to  the  facts  of  the  great  case,  I  observed  that 
our  countrymen  were  decidedly  circumspect  in  their 
statements ;  for  it  seems  that  the  General  himself  was 
accused  by  his  numerous  enemies  of  complicity  in  the 
alleged  treasonous  conspiracy.  Captain  —  I  write  the 
word  with  pride  —  Captain  Pike  was  highly  indig 
nant  at  this  attempt  to  implicate  the  friend  and  patron 
who  had  so  helped  him  in  his  career.  But  I,  remem 
bering  what  I  had  learned  from  Burr  and  from  the 
General  himself,  and  above  all  considering  that  hide 
ous  charge  by  the  aide  Medina,  had  the  greatest  diffi 
culty  in  giving  the  passive  assent  of  silence  when  my 
friend  said  that  he  would  include  my  respects  in  his 
letter  to  the  General. 

Truth  to  tell,  having  now  the  possibility  of  again 
meeting  and  of  winning  my  lady,  I  was  extremely 
desirous  for  a  commission  in  the  Army.  It  was  an  am 
bition  which  the  Captain  and  I  had  frequently  dis 
cussed  since  our  departure  from  Chihuahua,  and  which 
he  told  me  he  intended  to  call  to  the  attention  not 
only  of  General  Wilkinson  but  of  the  Secretary  of 
War,  General  Dearborn. 

I  need  hardly  say  that  we  had  also  discussed,  in  con 
fidence,  my  plans  for  a  voyage  to  Vera  Cruz,  But 
as  he  knew  even  less  about  the  sea  than  myself,  he 
could  only  commend  my  intention  of  applying  for 


The  Message  413 

assistance  to  Mr.  Daniel  Clark,  and  insist  upon  my 
leaving  him  as  soon  as  his  health  was  a  little  improved 
and  the  notes  partly  arranged. 

At  last  my  growing  impatience  and  anxiety  forced 
me  to  bend  to  his  urging.  We  parted,  with  more 
than  brotherly  regard  and  affection,  in  the  fond  ex 
pectation  of  rejoining  each  other  within  a  few  months 
as  brothers  in  arms.  His  last  words  were  an  assur 
ance  that  he  could  obtain  me  a  captaincy,  and  a  heart 
felt  wish  that  I  might  succeed  in  my  venture. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII 

IMPRESSED 

IT  was  a  wearisome  journey  by  river  and  forest 
and  swamp  to  New  Orleans  in  the  swelter  of  the 
July  heat,  but  I  pushed  on  by  horse  and  boat  to  the 
mosquito-and-fever-plagued  city  of  the  delta.  Hav 
ing  long  since  become  hardened  to  the  torments  of  the 
Southern  insect  pests  and  to  the  dangers  of  ague, 
dengue,  and  yellow  jack,  I  endured  the  first  with  res 
ignation  and  braved  the  last  without  a  qualm. 

The  sight  of  the  Creole  city,  with  our  glorious  flag 
afloat  above  the  bold  little  forts,  St.  Louis  and  St. 
Charles,  filled  me  with  joy  and  a  sense  of  accomplish 
ment.  This  marked  my  point  of  departure  in  the 
crossing  of  the  Gulf,  which  alone,  I  hoped,  now  sepa 
rated  me  from  my  lady.  Though,  even  with  the  influx 
of  our  native-born  Americans  since  the  annexation, 
the  city  could  claim  only  nine  thousand  inhabitants, 
the  amount  of  its  trade  and  shipping  was  enormous. 
Among  the  scores  and  hundreds  of  sea-going  craft 
which  lay  moored  along  the  wharfs  and  the  levees  or 
swung  at  anchor  in  the  stream,  I  felt  certain  I  should 
find  one  to  bear  me  to  Vera  Cruz. 

Of  all  the  merchants  of  the  city,  I  knew  that  few  if 
any  stood  so  well  with  the  Spanish  authorities  in  the 
New  World  or  carried  on  so  extensive  a  trade  with  the 


Impressed  415 

Spanish  colonies  as  my  acquaintance,  Mr.  Daniel 
Clark.  Accordingly  I  waited  upon  him  the  evening 
of  my  arrival,  and  stated  my  keen  desire  to  obtain 
passage  to  Vera  Cruz. 

He  took  occasion  to  congratulate  me  on  my  share  in 
the  expedition,  a  general  account  of  which  had  come 
to  him,  I  suspect  through  secret  sources  of  communi 
cation  with  the  Spaniards.  He,  however,  shook  his 
head  over  my  request  for  advice  and  assistance,  until, 
in  desperation,  I  confessed  that  the  object  of  my  in 
tended  voyage  was  to  meet  the  lady  to  whom  I  was 
betrothed. 

'  Why  did  you  not  tell  me  that  at  the  first,  sirf  " 
he  snapped.  "I  set  you  down  for  an  agent  of 
that  double-dealing  scoundrel  and  traitor  James 
Wilkinson." 

"  Mr.  Clark,"  I  replied,  "  General  Wilkinson  wiU, 
I  presume,  be  subjected  to  the  searching  cross- 
examination  of  the  counsel  for  Colonel  Burr.  Per 
sonally  I  have  little  liking  for  the  General,  and  have 
so  expressed  myself  in  the  past.  But  for  the  present 
I  think  it  only  just  to  him,  as  to  Colonel  Burr,  to 
await  the  publication  of  the  facts  of  this  deplorable 
scandal  and  the  verdict  of  the  trial." 

"  Ay,  ay!  You  can  take  a  dispassionate  view,  doc 
tor.  You  have  not  shared  in  all  the  heat  and  tumult 
of  this  last  year.  Very  well.  Be  as  nonpartisan  as 
you  wish,  just  so  you  do  not  join  in  the  hounding  of 
honorable  men  who  chanced  to  show  courtesies  to  that 
misguided  dreamer,  Burr." 


416  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  Sir,  I  have  no  other  thought,  no  other  object  in 
life  that  I  can  consider  until  I  have  returned  this  to 
my  lady,"  I  said,  showing  him  the  rosary. 

He  turned  to  his  portfolio,  and  at  once  wrote  a 
letter  in  a  neat,  clerky  hand.  Having  folded  and  ad 
dressed  it,  he  handed  it  to  me  unsealed. 

"  Present  that  to  Monsieur  Lafitte.  You  will  find 
his  sloop,  the  Siren,  somewhere  along  the  water  front. 
Wait.  Are  you  in  funds?  " 

"  Enough  for  the  present,  sir.  But  this  Monsieur 
Lafitte  —  he  sails  for  Vera  Cruz?" 

"  I  have  written  him  that  you  wish  to  land  in  that 
port.  He  bears  papers  from  me  which  will  enable 
you  to  effect  a  landing  and  a  stay  of  a  few  weeks. 
Should  you  need  funds  to  carry  you  through  with 
your  venture  in  that  city,  this  letter  will  enable  you 
to  draw  upon  Captain  Lafitte  for  a  hundred  doub 
loons." 

I  sought  to  express  my  gratitude,  but  he  cut  me 
short,  and  rang  for  his  mulatto  boy  to  show  me  out. 
As  it  was  by  now  past  nine  o'clock  and  a  dark,  cloudy 
evening,  I  returned  to  my  hotel  for  the  night. 

But  sunrise  found  me  down  in  the  midst  of  the  hurly- 
burly  and  confusion  of  the  water  front.  Such  a  scene 
was  never  known  elsewhere  than  here  in  the  port  of 
the  Father  of  Waters.  Rowdy  rivermen  from  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  settlements,  and  no  less  rowdy 
seamen  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  lewd 
women  and  dock  workmen,  black  and  white,  swarthy 
Creole  merchants  and  weather-beaten  ship's  officers,  — 


Impressed  417 

all  jostling  and  hurrying  about  wharf  and  levee  in 
the  cool  of  the  early  morning. 

Upon  starting  to  inquire,  I  discovered  that  it  was 
not  so  simple  a  matter  to  find  the  sloop  Siren  as  I 
had  imagined.  The  slaves  and  Creoles  were  polite  in 
their  replies,  the  sailors  and  rivermen  gruff,  but  all 
alike  expressed  their  inability  to  enlighten  me. 

At  last  I  accosted  at  a  venture  a  splendidly  built 
gentleman  of  about  my  own  age  and  breadth  but  a 
full  two  inches  taller. 

"Monsieur,"  I  said,  noting  his  black  hair  and 
French  features,  "  your  pardon,  but  I  am  in  search 
of  the  schooner  Siren,  Captain  Lafitte." 

"  Ah,"  he  replied,  eying  me  with  a  polite  yet  pene 
trating  gaze.  "  May  I  request  you  to  name  your  busi 
ness  with  Captain  Lafitte? " 

"  Sir,"  I  answered,  bowing,  "  my  business  with 
Monsieur  Lafitte  is  private.  If  you  cannot  favor  me 
with  the  location  of  the  Siren  —  " 

"  If  I  cannot  favor  you  with  that,  I  can  at  least  with 
the  location  of  Jean  Lafitte,"  he  said,  bowing  in  turn. 
"  Monsieur,  permit  me  to  introduce  myself  as  Jean 
Lafitte,  at  your  service." 

"  Monsieur,  your  servant,  Dr.  John  H.  Robinson, 
with  a  letter  from  Monsieur  Daniel  Clark,"  I 
responded. 

His  fine  hazel  eyes  glowed.  "  A  friend  of  Monsieur 
Clark!" 

I  handed  him  the  letter.  He  bowed  with  the  pol 
ished  ease  of  a  courtier,  and  after  a  polite  apology, 


418  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

opened  and  read  the  letter.  At  the  end  he  slipped  the 
letter  into  his  wallet,  and  smilingly  held  out  to  me  a 
shapely,  bronzed  hand. 

"  Monsieur  Clark  has  explained  your  reason  for 
sailing,  doctor,"  he  said,  with  a  manner  that  won  him 
my  regard  on  the  spot.  "  I  shall  be  more  than  pleased 
to  do  all  in  my  power  to  aid  you.  We  shall  first  send 
for  your  chests." 

I  explained  my  lack  of  wardrobe. 

"  Sacre! "  he  exclaimed.  "  But  I  sail  at  once. 
Come!  I  have  it.  I  lost  my  third  mate  in  a  brush 
with  an  English  privateer  last  month.  He  was  a 
cleanly  man  of  much  your  build.  You  shall  ship  in 
his  berth." 

I  pointed  to  the  nearest  flatboat.  "  That  is  the  ex 
tent  of  my  seamanship,  Monsieur  Captain." 

He  shrugged.  "  The  clothes  will  fit,  if  the  berth 
does  not.  You  can  save  your  present  costume  for 
your  landing." 

I  bowed  assent,  and  we  at  once  swung  along  side 
by  side  to  a  wharf  where  his  boat  was  in  waiting  for 
him.  With  a  courtesy  which  I  did  not  then  appreciate, 
though  I  noted  how  it  impressed  the  half-dozen 
swarthy,  red-capped  oarsmen,  he  sprang  first  into  the 
stern-sheets.  The  moment  I  stepped  in  after  him,  the 
men  pushed  off.  They  rowed  with  a  skill  and  regu 
larity  of  stroke  that  speedily  brought  us  out  around 
the  brig  which  blocked  our  view,  when  we  approached 
the  most  graceful  sloop  upon  which  I  had  ever  set 
eyes. 


Impressed  419 

Not  being  a  seaman,  I  can  only  say  that  the 
Sirens  masts  and  yards  seemed  to  me  to  be  un 
usually  long,  and  the  former  strongly  inclined  to  the 
stern  —  raked,  I  believe  is  the  marine  term.  Her  hull, 
which  was  painted  a  dull  gray,  with  a  narrow  stripe 
of  red,  was  sharp  in  the  bow,  broad  and  overhanging 
at  the  stern,  and  low- set  in  the  water. 

When  we  came  aboard,  I  noticed  that  the  sloop's 
decks  were  cleaner  and  more  orderly  than  those  of 
any  other  merchant  vessel  I  had  seen  at  close  quarters, 
and  that  besides  a  number  of  carronades,  she  carried 
abaft  the  mainmast  a  great  pivot-gun  that  could  have 
found  few  mates  afloat  elsewhere  than  aboard  a  man- 
of-war.  It  was  a  long  French  twenty-four-pounder, 
which  is  really  a  twenty-six-and-a-half-pounder  by 
English  weight.  As  is  well  known,  many  frigates 
carry  no  heavier  longs  than  eighteen-pounders. 

Observing  my  interested  glance,  Captain  Lafitte 
said,  with  a  smile :  "  As  you  see,  doctor,  Monsieur 
Clark  is  disinclined  to  deliver  his  sloop  and  cargo  to 
the  Spanish  privateers  without  a  protest." 

"  Is  the  Siren,  then,  his  vessel? "  I  asked  in 
surprise. 

"  For  this  voyage,  at  least,"  he  answered;  and  leav 
ing  me  to  guess  what  this  might  mean,  he  turned  and 
called  out  a  series  of  nautical  orders  in  a  voice  like 
a  trumpet. 

Instantly  such  a  swarm  of  sailors  poured  up  from 
the  forecastle  and  hatchways  and  rushed  here  and 
there  about  the  decks  that  I  wondered  they  did  not 


420  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

run  one  another  down.  Between  times  the  Captain 
beckoned  to  a  grinning  imp  of  a  cabin-boy  and  told 
him  to  show  me  below. 

It  was  three  days  before  I  again  saw  the  deck. 
Once  the  sloop  was  under  way,  Captain  Lafitte  came 
down  long  enough  to  start  me  overhauling  the  chests 
of  the  dead  third  mate.  This  kept  me  occupied  until 
the  midafternoon,  aside  from  the  time  it  took  me 
to  eat  the  savory  meal  brought  to  me  by  the  cabin-boy. 
Captain  Lafitte  remained  all  the  time  on  deck  with 
the  pilot  who  conned  us  down  to  the  Gulf.  When  at 
last  he  did  come  below,  the  sloop  was  pitching 
in  a  rough  cross-sea  and  I  was  most  disgracefully 
nauseated. 

The  gale  freshening  to  a  downright  storm,  we  were, 
as  I  was  afterwards  told,  compelled  to  run  before  it 
under  a  storm  jib.  At  the  time  I  knew  only  that  I 
was  too  seasick  to  care  whether  the  ship  floated  or 
foundered. 

But  on  the  fourth  day  the  storm  abated  to  a  half 
gale,  and  the  sloop,  being  brought  about  and  put 
under  more  sail,  became  so  much  steadier  that  I  made 
shift  to  eat  a  scant  meal  and  crawl  on  deck.  Such  of 
the  weary-eyed  crew  as  took  heed  of  me  grinned  at 
the  pale-faced  landsman,  but  they  took  on  another 
look  when  at  noon  I  helped  the  captain  to  take  his 
observations  and  work  out  the  result.  I  had  not  spent 
all  those  months  with  Pike  for  nothing. 

Lafitte  appeared  highly  amused  at  this  discomfiture 
of  his  tars,  and  promptly  declared  in  their  hearing  that 


Impressed  421 

I  should  be  rated  as  third  mate.  The  following  day, 
when  I  really  found  my  sea-legs,  he  proposed  in  all 
seriousness  that  I  should  accept  the  berth.  Having 
candidly  declared  his  bitter  hatred  of  the  British,  he 
sought  to  sting  me  to  a  like  hatred  by  relating  in  full 
detail  the  account  of  the  shameful,  brutal  outrage  of 
the  Leopard  upon  the  Chesapeake,  off  Hampton 
Roads,  hardly  more  than  a  month  past. 

Despite  my  anger  and  humiliation  at  this  unavenged 
insult  to  my  flag,  I  felt  no  longing  for  a  seafaring 
life  other  than  such  as  was  necessary  to  win  me  my 
lady.  Lafitte  acknowledged  that,  in  my  situation, 
my  decision  was  probably  a  wise  one.  But  he  went 
on  with  the  statement  that  he,  for  one,  would  live  and 
die  in  the  contest  against  tyranny  on  the  high  seas, 
and  repeated  a  terrible  vow  which  he  had  taken  against 
all  Britons  and  Spaniards.  His  hatred  of  the  first  I 
could  well  understand,  since  he  was  a  Frenchman. 
But  his  enmity  to  the  latter,  now  the  allies  of  his  coun 
try,  I  could  explain  only  as  the  result  of  private  in 
juries.  On  this  point  he  was  as  reserved  as  he  was 
free  in  expressing  his  determination  to  wreak  venge 
ance  upon  the  ships  of  both  nations. 

Not  two  days  later  we  were  roused  at  dawn  by 
the  muffled  cry  of  "  Ship,  ho!"  and  slipping  up  on 
deck,  found  the  Siren  within  a  cable's-length  of 
a  British  frigate.  The  surprise  was  complete,  for 
the  British  sighted  us  within  a  few  moments  after 
they  were  themselves  seen.  Detecting  Lafitte's  at 
tempt  to  set  more  sail,  they  fired  a  solid  shot  across 


422  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

our  bows.  Our  captain  could  do  no  other  than 
obey  this  grim  signal  to  heave-to,  since  disobedience 
would  have  meant  the  blowing  of  the  sloop  to  match 
wood  by  the  frigate's  broadside  of  long  eighteen- 
pounders. 

According  to  a  prearranged  plan,  the  half-dozen 
British  seamen  in  our  crew  and  a  dozen  of  the  more 
English-appearing  Americans  at  once  slipped  down 
into  the  hold,  where  they  were  hidden  by  their  ship 
mates  in  a  stow-hole  prepared  for  the  purpose  in  the 
midst  of  the  cargo.  Meantime,  cursing  beneath  his 
breath,  Captain  Lafitte  paced  his  little  quarterdeck, 
if  so  it  may  be  called,  and  stared  at  the  frigate's  cut 
ter,  which  came  racing  toward  us  over  the  dancing 
waves  in  the  refulgent  glow  of  the  low,  red  sunrays. 
It  was  a  pretty  sight,  but  one  which  not  a  man  aboard 
looked  upon  with  other  than  a  sour  face. 

Very  shortly  the  cutter  came  alongside,  and  we 
were  boarded  by  a  pert  young  cockerel  of  a  midship 
man,  with  a  following  of  six  or  eight  heavy- jawed 
British  tars.  Meeting  Captain  Lafitte's  punctilious 
bow  with  a  curt  nod,  the  young  fellow  demanded  to 
see  his  papers,  and  added  with  the  lordliness  of  an 
admiral:  "  Pipe  all  hands  on  deck,  and  let  there  be 
no  stowaways,  for  I  warn  you  I  shall  exercise  the 
rights  of  search  and  impressment." 

Captain  Lafitte  made  a  formal  protest  against  these 
so-called  rights  of  search  and  impressment  aboard  an 
American  sloop  sailing  from  the  neutral  port  of  New 
Orleans  to  the  unblockaded  port  of  Vera  Cruz.  With- 


Impressed  423 

out  waiting  for  the  insolent  reply  which  this  elicited, 
he  sent  for  the  ship's  papers  and  ordered  all  hands 
on  deck.  While  the  midshipman  glanced  through  the 
papers  and  log,  all  the  crew,  other  than  those  con 
cealed,  assembled  in  the  bows  for  inspection. 

Unable  to  find  a  flaw  in  the  papers,  for  Lafitte  and 
the  Siren  were  alike  certified  to  as  belonging  to  the 
port  of  New  Orleans,  our  unwelcome  visitor  ordered 
the  crew  to  file  before  him.  In  all  the  lot  there 
was  not  one  British  subject  nor  one  who  looked  like 
a  Briton,  yet  the  young  tyrant  picked  out,  without 
hesitancy,  ten  of  the  likeliest  looking  men,  seven  of 
them  lean,  lantern- jawed  Yankees  and  three  French 
Creoles.  In  answer  to  the  protests  of  the  first  that 
they  were  New  Englanders,  he  snapped  out  the  one 
word  "  Hull  "  —  to  the  Creoles,  "  Guernsey." 

"  Good  God!  "  I  cried  to  Captain  Lafitte,  who  stood 
by,  gnawing  his  mustache  in  silent  fury.  *  You 
know  these  are  native-born  citizens  of  the  United 
States.  Can  you  submit  to  such  an  outrage? " 

Far  better  had  I  held  my  peace!  Instantly  the 
middy  demanded  of  the  nearest  of  our  men  who  I  was. 
The  fellow,  a  stupid  mulatto,  mumbled  something 
about  my  being  the  third  mate. 

"So!"  snapped  the  Englishman.  "Third  mate? 
It  is  well  known  that  all  Yankee  ships  are  officered  by 
British  deserters.  I  '11  take  this  loud-mouthed  sea- 
lawyer." 

"  Not  alive!  "  I  rejoined.  "  I  'm  a  free-born  citizen 
of  the  Republic.  I  '11  not  submit,  you  lying  young 


424  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

scoundrel !  —  Captain  Lafitte !  —  shipmates !  Show 
these  bullies  we  can  die  like  men! " 

My  appeal  was  in  vain.  Lafitte  still  stood  silent, 
and  the  men  turned  to  stare  shamefaced  at  the  guns 
of  the  frigate.  I  stepped  back  to  catch  up  a  marlin- 
spike,  but  the  British  crimps  were  too  well  trained  in 
their  despicable  business.  They  sprang  at  and  about 
me  in  a  body.  I  struck  out  right  and  left;  then  a 
belaying-pin  crashed  upon  my  head  with  stunning 
force. 

When  I  recovered  consciousness,  I  found  myself 
swinging  in  a  sailor's  hammock  that  was  suspended 
from  the  beams  of  a  low  wooden  ceiling.  I  felt 
strangely  weak  and  faint,  but  made  shift  to  turn  my 
head  enough  to  see  that  I  was  in  a  long,  wide  space 
between  decks.  The  rows  of  cannon  resting  each 
before  its  open  port  roused  in  me  a  sort  of  dull,  vague 
wonderment.  A  puff  of  salt  sea  air  through  the 
nearest  port  tempered  the  suffocating  heat  of  the 
place  and  revived  me  to  a  clearer  self -consciousness, 
though  all  my  memory  seemed,  as  it  were,  wrapped 
in  a  gray  mist. 

The  first  clear  idea  was  that  there  was  about  my 
neck  something  precious  which  must  not  be  lost.  I 
fumbled  about  with  a  feeble  hand,  and  drew  out  the 
rosary  and  cross  from  the  open  bosom  of  my  shirt. 
I  was  gazing  at  this,  still  bewildered,  when  there  came 
to  my  side  a  dried-up,  kindly  faced,  bespectacled 
little  gentleman  who,  at  sight  of  my  open  eyes, 
nodded  and  chirruped  almost  gayly :  "  Ahoy,  Jack ! 


Impressed  425 

Pleased  to  see  your  wits  out  of  limbo !  You  Ve  had 
a  narrow  squeak  of  it,  my  man." 

"  Who  are  you?    Where  am  I?  "  I  murmured. 

He  took  a  pinch  of  snuff,  sneezed  with  hearty  en 
joyment,  and  then  answered  me  with  genial  conde 
scension:  "  In  due  order,  Jack,  I  reply  that  I  am  Dr. 
Cuthbert,  surgeon  to  His  Majesty's  frigate  Belliger 
ent,  of  whose  crew  you  are  a  member." 

I  stared  at  him,  my  memory  still  in  that  gray  mist. 
Seeing  my  bewilderment,  he  was  thoughtful  enough  to 
explain:  "  You  were  so  foolish  as  to  resist,  my  man, 
when  Midshipman  Hepburn  impressed  you.  Either 
the  blow  which  stunned  you,  or  the  close  air  of  the  fore 
castle,  or  the  seeds  of  disease  in  your  system,  brought 
on  a  fever  and  delirium  in  which  you  have  lain  for  the 
past  fortnight." 

"  Fortnight !  "  I  gasped.    "  But  —  I  remember  now 

—  I  must  get  to  Vera  Cruz  —  Vera  Cruz !    Fortnight ! 
What  is  the  date?  " 

"  August  the  ninth." 
I  groaned. 

"  Vera  Cruz?  "  he  cackled.  "  Why  should  you  wish 
to  go  to  Vera  Cruz?  " 

I  put  my  hand  to  my  head,  and  tried  to  think 

—  to    penetrate    that    gray    mist.      "  I    cannot    re 
member  —  I    cannot    remember  —  only    I    know    I 
must   go  —  at   once  —  and  it  has  to   do   with  this 


cross." 


"  Eh!  eh!  "  he  cackled.    "  I  thought  there  was  some 
thing  in  that  rosary.     Third  mates  of  merchantmen 


426  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

do  not  usually  go  about  with  Romish  crucifixes  and 
beads  about  their  necks.  Your  name?  " 

I  opened  my  lips,  but  not  a  syllable  came  from 
them.  I  racked  my  brains,  groping  in  that  terrible 
mist  of  oblivion.  It  was  in  vain.  I  could  not  remem 
ber  my  own  name! 

"  Eh !  eh ! "  he  murmured,  when  I  told  him  the  dread 
ful  truth.  '  You  are  in  a  pretty  pickle.  I  have  known 
before  of  such  cases,  resulting  from  a  crack  on  the 
head.  The  famous  John  Hunter  agrees  with  Jean 
Louis  Petit  that  it  is  due  to  a  bloodclot  on  the  brain, 
which,  in  favorable  cases,  dissolves,  and  the  patient 
becomes  fully  restored." 

I  stared,  uncomprehending.  I  had  forgotten  Hun 
ter  and  Petit;  I  had  forgotten  all  my  learning  — 
everything  of  my  past  life.  I  did  not  even  realize 
that  I  was  a  physician. 

He  went  on  cheerily :  "  So  you  have  some  little  hope 
for  a  full  return  of  memory,  Jack.  In  the  mean 
time  you  will  soon  regain  strength  enough  to  leave 
the  sick  bay.  For  your  own  good,  let  me  advise  you 
to  obey  orders  and  do  your  duty,  with  no  further  at 
tempts  at  vain  and  foolish  resistance  to  your  superiors. 
Whether  or  not  you  are  a  British  subject,  —  which 
personally  I  strongly  doubt,  —  you  are  entered  in 
the  crew  of  the  *  Belligerent,'  and  the  iron  rules  of 
the  Royal  Navy  deal  severely  with  the  slightest  in 
fractions  of  discipline." 


CHAPTER   XXXIV 

SHAME 

IT  was  another  week  before  I  recovered  a  fair  share 
of  my  usual  strength,  and  I  believe  the  kindly 
little  surgeon  kept  me  under  his  charge  two  or  three 
days  longer  than  was  strictly  necessary.  Meantime 
the  mist  still  shrouded  my  memory,  and  though  other 
wise  my  wits  were  as  clear  as  they  had  ever  been,  so 
far  as  knowledge  of  anything  other  than  the  common 
est  matters  of  daily  life  was  concerned  I  was  in  a 
dense  night  of  ignorance. 

Dr.  Cuthbert  took  care  to  explain  this  to  the  officer 
of  the  watch  in  which  I  was  put,  and  the  lieutenant 
was  sufficiently  humane  to  set  me  at  tasks  which  re 
quired  no  skill  of  seamanship.  As  it  chanced,  I  saw 
nothing  of  the  midshipman  who  had  impressed  me. 
He  was,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  in  another  watch. 

The  day  I  was  ordered  on  deck  we  sighted  a  palm- 
fringed  coast,  which  my  fellow  seamen  spoke  of  as 
Yucatan.  The  word  meant  nothing  to  me,  for  my 
memory  was  still  in  the  mist,  and  the  only  name  left 
me  out  of  the  past  was  Vera  Cruz. 

From  Yucatan  the  Belligerent  cruised  off  in  an 
easterly  direction  toward  Cuba.  But  the  second 
day  we  fell  in  with  a  west-bound  frigate,  which  sig- 


428  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

nailed  the  ISeUigerent  to  patrol  the  mouths  of  the 
Mississippi,  on  the  lookout  for  a  noted  French  priv 
ateer  sloop  La  Belle  Silene,  whose  master,  Jean 
Laffat  or  Lafayette,  was  rumored  to  have  turned 
pirate. 

Had  I  been  in  full  possession  of  my  mental  facul 
ties,  I  must  surely  have  noted  the  similarity  of  names. 
Jean  Lafitte  was  not  so  far  from  Jean  Laffat,  and  the 
Siren  from  La  Belle  Silene.  As  it  was,  I  doubt 
whether  at  this  time  the  shouting  of  Lafitte's  name 
in  my  ear  would  have  stirred  the  faintest  echo  of 
memory. 

The  following  morning,  just  at  the  change  of  the 
dog  watch,  the  frigate  was  suddenly  roused  from  its 
dull,  precise  routine  by  the  sound  of  a  heavy  gun 
booming  down  the  wind  from  the  westward.  In 
stantly  the  ship  was  brought  about,  to  tack  to  wind 
ward,  and  the  order  was  given  to  clear  for  action. 
The  call  to  quarters  was  sounded,  the  marines  paraded, 
and  the  cannon  run  out  ready  for  firing,  all  before 
we  sighted  the  supposed  enemy. 

Meantime  the  boom  of  the  heavy  cannon  had  come 
rolling  down  the  wind  to  us  at  such  regular  intervals 
that  the  men  about  me  swore  there  could  be  only  one 
big  gun.  Before  many  minutes  we  distinguished  the 
hoarse,  barking  roar  of  many  carronades.  At  the  same 
time  we  sighted  the  square  topsails  of  a  Spanish  mer 
chantman,  and,  a  little  later,  the  gaff-topsail  of  a 
sloop. 

Soon  the  word  was  shouted  down  from  our  lookout 


Shame  429 

at  the  masthead  that  the  ship  was  running  from  the 
sloop,  which  carried  the  big  gun  and  was  evidently 
having  far  the  better  of  the  engagement.  The  flag 
of  the  ship  now  confirmed  the  opinion  that  she  was 
a  Spanish  merchantman.  But  the  strongest  of  spy 
glasses  were  unable  to  make  clear  the  small  flag  of 
the  sloop.  It  was  enough,  however,  for  the  British 
captain,  that,  upon  sighting  us,  the  Spaniard  flew  a 
signal  for  help,  and  veered  so  as  to  run  down  to  us. 
That  her  crew  should  thus  seek  to  put  their  ship  in 
the  way  of  certain  capture  was  considered  by  the  men 
about  me  clear  proof  that  the  sloop  was  a  pirate. 

As  I  had  been  left  to  pull  and  haul  on  deck,  I  was 
able  to  witness  all  the  fierce  contest  of  the  fight,  and 
the  race  of  the  frigate  to  rescue  the  assailed  Spaniard. 
Sail  after  sail  was  set,  and  the  bellying  sheets  tautened 
as  flat  as  the  nimble  seamen  could  draw  them. 

But  swiftly  as  we  tacked  to  windward,  and  swiftly 
as  the  Spaniard  slanted  down  the  wind  to  obtain  shel 
ter  of  us,  the  unfortunate  vessel  was  already  in  ter 
rible  distress  from  the  relentless  attack  of  her  little 
enemy.  With  an  audacity  which  amazed  the  Britons, 
the  sloop  stood  on,  undaunted  by  our  approach,  hang 
ing  close  upon  the  quarter  of  her  victim. 

The  fire  of  the  ship  was  already  silenced,  while  from 
half  a  cable's-length  the  carronades  of  the  sloop  belched 
their  missiles  into  the  rigging  of  the  Spaniard  with 
ever-increasing  rapidity,  and  the  great  gun  on  the  mid- 
deck  sent  shot  after  shot  crashing  into  the  bulging  hull 
at  the  waterline. 


430  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

Suddenly  we  saw  the  mizzenmast  of  the  Spaniard 
totter.  It  fell  forward  and  sideways,  dragging  after 
it  the  splintered  mainmast.  As  the  ship  broached-to, 
we  could  see  that  she  was  settling  down  by  the  stern. 
Even  I,  despite  the  night  of  ignorance  which  lay  upon 
me,  realized  that  she  was  beginning  to  founder. 

Certain  of  the  fate  of  her  victim,  the  sloop  now 
sheered  off.  The  Belligerent  opened  fire  with  the 
long  eighteen-pounder  bow-chasers,  but  the  shots  fell 
short  of  the  sloop  by  fifty  yards  or  more.  Within 
half  a  minute  the  sloop  had  the  stupendous  audacity 
to  fire  her  great  gun  at  us.  By  a  rare  chance,  the 
ponderous  ball  struck  the  starboard  shrouds,  snap 
ping  them  like  packthread,  and  hurled  on  aslant 
the  after  deck,  to  chip  a  splinter  from  the  mizzen 
mast  and  smash  a  great  hole  through  the  roof  of  the 
cabin. 

Only  the  quickness  with  which  the  frigate  was 
brought  up  into  the  wind  and  the  main  and  mizzen  sails 
blanketed  by  the  foresails  saved  the  main  and  mizzen- 
masts  from  being  sprung,  if  not  carried  overboard. 
Never,  I  fancy,  did  the  crew  of  a  man-of-war  have  to 
suffer  such  a  maddening  checkmate.  They  dared  not 
even  come  about  to  give  the  saucy  sloop  a  broadside, 
but  could  only  bark  away  with  the  ineffective  bow- 
chasers.  The  sloop  packed  on  what  was  a  tremendous 
spread  of  canvas  for  so  small  a  craft,  and  fled  away 
aslant  the  wind  at  a  speed  that  the  frigate  could  not 
have  hoped  to  equal  on  the  same  course,  even  had  the 
rigging  been  in  perfect  trim. 


Shame  431 

By  the  time  the  British  had  stoppered  the  broken 
shrouds,  reeved  preventer  braces,  and  strengthened 
the  splintered  mizzenmast,  the  Spanish  ship  had 
drifted  down  within  hailing  distance.  She  now  sat 
very  low  astern,  and  such  of  her  people  as  had  not  been 
slain  or  helplessly  wounded  had  crowded  up  into  her 
high-flung  bows  and  were  shrieking  to  us  for  rescue. 
There  was  not  one  of  their  boats  which  had  escaped 
the  fierce  fire  of  the  sloop's  carronades.  Seeing  this, 
and  that  pursuit  of  the  sloop  was  now  hopeless,  the 
British  captain  ordered  out  all  the  frigate's  boats  to 
take  off  the  imperilled  Spaniards. 

This  was  a  simple  matter,  as  there  was  little  sea 
running  and  the  wind  no  more  than  a  fair  breeze. 
Soon  the  first  boatload  of  Spaniards  was  brought  over 
from  the  sinking  ship  and  rowed  along  our  starboard 
side  toward  the  stern.  As  the  boat  passed,  I  looked 
down  from  the  lofty  deck  in  the  idle  curiosity  of  my 
empty  head.  Seated  in  the  stern- sheets  I  saw  a  portly 
man  in  robes,  and  beside  him  a  slender  woman  in 
the  white  veil  of  a  novice.  The  woman  looked  up  — 
It  was  Alisanda! 

A  cry  burst  from  my  lips,  and  I  staggered  back' 
with  a  hand  to  my  forehead.  In  a  twinkling  every 
thing  had  come  back  to  me  —  full  consciousness  and 
memory  of  myself,  my  life,  my  love !  But  in  the  same 
instant  all  memory  of  my  days  aboard  the  Belliger 
ent  became  a  blank. 

I  stared  about  me  in  amazement.  Then  I  remem 
bered  that  my  lady  was  being  rowed  alongside  this 


432  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

strange  ship.  I  glanced  over,  and  saw  that  the  boat 
had  made  fast  alongside  the  ship's  quarter,  —  that 
preparations  were  under  way  to  lift  Alisanda  to  the 
deck. 

Heedless  of  all  else  in  the  strange  unknown  scene 
about  me,  I  ran  aft,  half  mad  with  the  mystery  and 
joy  of  such  a  meeting.  But  suddenly  a  marine  sprang 
before  me  with  lowered  bayonet. 

"Halt!"  he  ordered. 

I  stopped  short,  with  the  point  against  my  breast. 

"Let  me  past  —  let  me  past!"  I  panted.  "I 
must  go  to  my  lady!  I  am  Dr.  Robinson!  I  must 
see  her  —  at  once!  " 

*  What 's  this?  "  demanded  an  insolent  young  voice, 
and  the  midshipman  who  had  impressed  me  swung 
around  beside  the  marine.  I  recognized  him  on  the 
instant. 

"You!  "I  cried. 

"The  dunce!"  he  rejoined.  "Back  before  the 
mast,  you  damned  Yankee !  " 

"  You!  "  I  repeated.  "  Get  out  of  my  way.  I  'm 
going  to  my  lady!  " 

"Your  lady!"  he  sneered,  and  he  added  a  term 
which  stung  me  to  madness.  As  he  spoke,  he  struck 
me  a  heavy  blow  with  his  fist  upon  my  jaw.  Catching 
him  by  the  wrist,  I  jerked  him  forward  and  struck  him 
a  blow  between  the  eyes  that  would  have  felled  him 
had  I  not  held  to  his  wrist.  The  marine  cried  out,  and 
sprang  around  for  an  opening  to  lunge  at  me  without 
striking  his  officer.  I  caught  the  staggering  young 


Shame  433 

scoundrel  by  the  shoulders  and  hurled  him  against  the 
man.  Both  rolled  to  the  deck. 

At  the  same  moment  some  one  sprang  upon  me  from 
behind  and  bore  me  down.  As  I  fell,  others  flung 
themselves  upon  my  legs.  My  arms  were  wrenched 
around  behind  my  back  and  lashed  together,  my 
ankles  bound  fast,  despite  my  desperate  struggles. 
Then  a  stern  voice  gave  the  order  for  me  to  be  taken 
below  and  placed  in  irons.  I  sought  to  cry  out  an 
appeal  —  to  attempt  an  explanation.  But  one  of  the 
men  thrust  a  balled  kerchief  into  my  mouth  and  tied 
in  the  gag  with  another  kerchief  which  covered  my 
eyes  as  well.  Dumb,  blind,  and  bound,  I  was  carried 
below,  still  struggling. 

The  moment  they  had  replaced  my  bonds  with 
handcuffs  and  bilboes  and  relieved  me  of  the  gag,  down 
in  the  foul,  cell-like  prison,  I  so  implored  and  raved  to 
see  the  captain  that  they  thought  I  was  beside  myself, 
—  as,  indeed,  it  may  well  be  said  I  was.  Instead  of 
the  captain,  they  sent  for  Dr.  Cuthbert,  who  was  a 
perfect  stranger  to  my  restored  memory.  He  lis 
tened  to  my  now  incoherent  statements  that  I  was 
Dr.  John  Robinson  and  must  go  to  my  lady,  and 
sought  to  soothe  me.  My  constant  repetitions  con 
vinced  him  that  I  was  quite  out  of  my  head,  and  to 
quiet  me,  he  cunningly  administered  an  opiate  in 
wine  and  water. 

Discipline  is  swift-handed  aboard  a  man-of-war. 
Before  I  had  fully  slept  off  the  effects  of  the  drug,  I 
was  roused  and  taken  before  the  court-martial  con- 

28 


434  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

vened  to  try  me.  The  judge-advocate  was  the  officer 
of  my  watch,  though  at  the  time  I  had  no  memory  of 
him.  For  the  first  time  I  saw  the  captain  near  at 
hand.  He  was  a  granite-faced  Cornishman,  and 
looked  upon  me  with  a  cold,  blue-gray  eye  which  con 
demned  me  before  a  word  had  been  spoken. 

My  ankles  had  been  freed  from  the  bilboes  before 
I  was  brought  up,  but  when  I  was  ordered  to  stand, 
I  could  not  readily  obey  because  of  the  continued 
numbness  of  my  limbs.  At  this  two  of  my  guard 
jerked  me  up  with  brutal  roughness,  and  the  charge 
against  me  was  read.  To  my  amazement  and  horror, 
I  learned  that  I  was  upon  trial,  under  the  name  Jack 
Numskull,  for  the  crime  of  striking  my  superior  officer, 
the  penalty  for  which  was  death. 

Ignorant  of  the  procedure  of  the  court,  I  sought  to 
protest,  but  was  ordered  to  keep  silent.  In  quick  suc 
cession,  the  witnesses  were  called  and  questioned,  — 
first  the  midshipman  I  had  struck,  then  the  marine, 
and  after  that  four  or  five  seamen.  All  testified  with 
out  contradiction  to  the  damnable  fact  that  I  had 
struck  Midshipman  Hepburn. 

"  Enough,"  said  Captain  Powers.  "  Has  the  pris 
oner  anything  to  say? " 

The  question  was  repeated  to  me.  I  bowed  to  the 
court  as  best  I  could  with  my  wrists  locked  together 
behind  my  back. 

"  Gentlemen,"  I  said,  "  I  wish  first  to  explain  —  " 

"  Speak  to  the  point,"  commanded  the  judge- 
advocate.  "  The  law  does  not  require  you  to  confess. 


Shame  435 

Yet  if  you  wish  to  meet  death  with  a  free  conscience, 
the  court  will  receive  your  statement.  Do  you  admit 
that  you  struck  your  superior  officer?  " 

"  No.    I  deny  it." 

"  You  deny  it  —  in  the  face  of  this  positive 
testimony?  " 

"  I  admit  that  I  struck  Midshipman  Hepburn,  — 
if  that  is  his  name.  I  deny  that  I  struck  my  superior 
officer." 

"Explain!"  demanded  Captain  Powers,  irascibly. 

"  I  deny  that  Midshipman  Hepburn  is  my  superior 
officer,  —  that  any  man  on  this  ship  or  in  the  Navy  of 
George  the  Third  is  my  superior  officer.  I  deny  the 
jurisdiction  of  this  court.  I  am  a  native-born  citizen 
of  the  United  States  of  America.  I  was  aboard  a  neu 
tral  vessel  sailing  from  one  free  port  to  another  when 
this  same  Midshipman  Hepburn  boarded  the  craft  and 
unlawfully  impressed  me.  In  resisting,  I  was  struck 
senseless.  Of  whatever  has  happened  since  I  have 
barely  a  vague  consciousness.  Only  I  know  that  im 
mediately  before  the  affray  for  which  I  am  now 
being  tried,  I  saw  a  lady  being  brought  alongside 
in  a  boat,  and  at  once  full  memory  came  back  to 
me.  I  am  John  H.  Robinson,  a  physician  of  the 
Louisiana  Territory,  born  in  the  State  of  Pennsyl 
vania,  reared  at  Cincinnati  on  the  Ohio  River,  and 
educated  at  Columbia  College,  in  the  city  of  New 
York." 

During  my  recital,  all  present  except  the  captain 
regarded  me  with  lively  curiosity,  mingled  with  vary- 


436  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

ing  degrees  of  incredulity.  Powers  did  not  betray 
the  slightest  interest  or  emotion. 

'  We  have  heard  the  statement  of  the  prisoner,"  he 
said.  '  Whether  it  is  or  is  not  true  is  irrelevant. 
The  fact  remains  that  the  prisoner,  while  serving  as 
a  seaman  in  the  service  of  His  Majesty  King  George, 
did  strike  a  midshipman  in  said  service,  the  same 
being  his  superior  officer." 

"  Sir,  may  I  suggest  the  doubt  of  the  prisoner's 
sanity,  in  mitigation  of  his  crime?"  interposed  the 
j  udge-advocate. 

"  Remove  the  prisoner,"  commanded  the  captain. 

I  was  led  out  and  kept  waiting  for  half  an  hour, 
while  my  life  hung  in  the  balance.  At  last  they  led 
me  back  to  receive  the  decree  of  the  court.  By  now 
I  was  in  a  half  stupor  of  agonized  despair,  my 
thoughts  fixed  upon  Alisanda  and  all  I  was  to  lose. 
The  terrible  word  "  Death!  "  roused  me  to  conscious 
ness  of  my  surroundings. 

The  judge-advocate  paused,  drew  a  deep  breath, 
and  continued  the  reading  of  the  sentence:  "But, 
it  being  testified  to  by  Surgeon  Wilbur  Cuthbert  that 
said  prisoner  was  not  at  the  time  of  the  committance 
of  his  crime  rational  or  sane,  said  sentence  of  death 
is  hereby  commuted  to  the  sentence  of  one  hundred 
lashes  —  " 

"Hold!  hold!"  I  cried.  "Not  that!  Shoot  me! 
—  murder  me !  But  spare  me  that  shame !  " 

This  time  when  they  dragged  me  out  and  down  to 
the  foul  prison  black-hole  they  had  no  need  of  a  gag. 


Shame  437 

After  that  one  wild  protest,  I  fell  dumb.  I  had  seen 
two  floggings  of  twenty  strokes  of  the  cat  since  com 
ing  aboard.  With  the  words  of  my  sentence  the  mem 
ory  had  come  back  to  me,  and  with  the  memory  of 
those  shameful  floggings  had  returned  the  remem 
brance  of  all  my  life  aboard  the  Belligerent. 

When,  an  hour  or  so  after  my  sentence,  Dr.  Cuth- 
bert  came  to  condole  with  me,  I  recognized  him  and 
his  kindness,  but  sat  in  sullen  misery  when  he  sought 
to  question  me.  The  trial  was  over  —  sentence  im 
posed.  Why  should  I  accept  the  sympathy  of  these 
brutes? 

He  may  have  divined  my  frame  of  mind,  for  pres 
ently  he  fell  to  deploring  the  rigors  of  the  times, 
brought  about  by  the  boundless  ambition  of  Bona 
parte.  England,  he  argued,  alone  interposed  by 
means  of  her  navy  a  barrier  against  the  world-wide 
domination  of  the  Corsican  adventurer.  That  navy 
was  the  hope  of  the  world.  Yet,  thanks  to  the  French 
privateers  and  Bonaparte's  strength  upon  the  Conti 
nent,  Britain  had  lost  much  of  her  commerce  to  the 
United  States,  to  whose  ships  the  British  seamen  were 
constantly  deserting  to  escape  the  harsh  yet  necessary 
discipline  of  the  Royal  Navy.  What,  then,  if  occa 
sionally  a  native  American  was  impressed?  The 
struggle  between  Britain  and  the  Corsican  was  a 
struggle  of  life  and  death.  Britain  must  man  her 
ships,  or  submit  to  destruction,  and  with  Britain 
crushed,  what  nation  or  alliance  of  nations  could  hope 
to  withstand  the  infernal  genius  of  Bonaparte? 


438  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

I  waited  for  a  pause,  and  inquired  in  a  casual  tone 
as  to  the  welfare  of  the  Spanish  lady  rescued  from  the 
sinking  ship.  He  started  up,  retreated  a  pace  or  two, 
with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  me,  and  then  hurried  off,  tap 
ping  his  head  significantly.  I  bowed  my  head  with  a 
sigh  of  relief.  The  temptation  had  been  taken  from 
me.  My  weakness  should  not  have  another  oppor 
tunity  to  betray  me.  My  lady  should  not  know  of  my 
shame. 


CHAPTER   XXXV 

UNDER  THE  LASH 

IN  the  early  morning  they  led  me  out  beside  the 
foremast.  There  were  present  the  petty  officer 
told  off  to  wield  the  cat-o'-nine-tails,  an  officer  to  tally 
the  strokes,  Dr.  Cuthbert,  and  my  guard.  This  was 
at  the  first.  Before  the  punishment  had  begun,  half 
a  hundred  of  the  crew  had  assembled  to  witness  it, 
drawn  I  suppose  by  varying  motives  of  curiosity,  pity, 
or  craving  for  the  exhibition  of  brutality. 

My  guard  was  about  to  strip  off  my  shirt,  when 
Dr.  Cuthbert  interposed.  "  One  moment."  They 
stepped  back,  and  he  addressed  me :  "  Dr.  Robinson, 
I  have  never  known  a  man  possessed  of  a  finer 
physique  than  yours.  On  the  other  hand,  none  can 
say  bef  oretime  what  any  man  can  endure  unless  he  has 
been  tested.  You  may  succumb  to  this  punishment." 

I  looked  at  him  a  long  moment,  and  for  my  lady's 
sake,  found  power  to  beg  a  favor  of  this  most  insist 
ently  kind  enemy. 

"  Dr.  Cuthbert,"  I  replied,  "  may  I  ask  you  to  re 
move  the  rosary  from  about  my  neck? "  He  did  so. 
"  Sir,  I  now  request  you  to  guard  my  treasure.  If 
I  survive  this  shame,  restore  it  to  me.  If  I  succumb, 
I  trust  you  as  a  gentleman  and  a  brother  physician 


440  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

to  give  the  cross  into  the  hands  of  Senorita  Alisanda 
Vallois,  with  the  simple  statement  that  I  died  in 
your  care." 

"Senorita  Vallois?  —  You  know  her?"  he  ex 
claimed. 

"  Yes;  but  in  God's  name,  doctor,  do  not  tell  her 
of  my  shame !  " 

"Dr.  Cuthbert!"  interposed  the  officer  in  charge. 

The  doctor  stepped  away,  and  my  guard  and  exe 
cutioner  seized  me  fast.  With  the  deftness  of  sailors, 
they  removed  my  handcuffs,  stripped  me  to  the  waist, 
and  triced  me  up  by  the  wrists  to  the  foremast. 

"  Ready!  "  caUed  the  officer.     "  One!  " 

Down  came  the  lash  upon  my  bare  back.  But  the 
sting  of  its  thongs  was  as  nothing  to  the  sting  of 
shame  which  pierced  my  heart.  Death  would  have 
been  far  less  bitter  than  this  disgrace! 

The  count  went  on.  Stroke  after  stroke  slashed 
across  my  back  and  shoulders  as  heavily  as  my  im- 
bruted  executioner  could  strike.  Soon  the  blood  be 
gan  to  ooze,  then  trickle,  then  stream  down.  By  the 
fiftieth  stroke  I  should  judge  that  my  back  was  a  mass 
of  raw  flesh.  Yet  the  count  continued,  the  strokes  fell 
without  ceasing,  mercilessly. 

Coming  as  I  did  from  a  people  bred  to  endure  the 
utmost  torture  of  the  Indian  savage,  I  found  no  diffi 
culty  in  restraining  any  outcry  under  this  equally 
fiendish  torture  of  so-called  Christians.  But  as  the 
little  surgeon  had  said,  no  man  can  foresee  the  limits 
of  endurance.  At  the  seventy-third  stroke  I  swooned. 


Under  the  Lash  441 

They  did  not  cut  me  down,  but  let  me  hang  by  the 
wrists,  and  drenched  me  with  buckets  of  sea-water, 
until  I  revived. 

I  gasped,  stiffened,  and  writhed  in  the  hell  of  agony 
which  beset  me  with  returning  consciousness. 

"  Seventy-four! "  called  the  officer. 

The  lash  descended,  all  the  more  forcefully  for  the 
rest  enjoyed  by  the  wielder. 

"  Seventy-five!  —  seventy-six!  —  seventy-seven!" 
went  on  the  merciless  tally. 

I  gritted  my  teeth,  and  vowed  to  endure  and  live, 
that  I  might  overturn  heaven  and  earth  to  accomplish 
the  shame  and  destruction  of  Britain.  My  glaring 
eyes  looked  out  past  the  mast  upon  the  sailors  before 
me  with  such  murderous  rage  that  one  by  one  they 
edged  back  and  around  beyond  reach  of  my  vision. 

The  count  had  now  passed  the  eighties  —  it  was 
at  ninety.  Only  ten  more  strokes!  But  despite  my 
rage,  a  deathly  sickness  was  fast  creeping  upon  me. 
I  could  no  longer  hold  up  my  head.  Try  as  I  might, 
it  sank  lower  and  lower,  until  my  chin  was  upon  my 
quivering  breast. 

"  Ninety-five!  The  words  came  faint,  from  an  im 
measurable  distance.  I  was  again  about  to  swoon. 

Suddenly  I  heard  a  cry  of  anguish  such  as  I  trust 
never  to  hear  again.  It  was  the  voice  of  my  lady! 
I  looked  up.  She  was  darting  toward  me,  her  beauti 
ful  hair  flying  wildly  in  the  breeze,  the  rosary  in  her 
outstretched  hand. 

"Ninety-six!"    Again  the  lash  fell. 


442  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"Ninety-seven!"  But  now  she  was  beside  me  — 
she  had  flung  herself  between  me  and  the  descending 
lash.  I  heard  the  sailors  cry  out.  The  executioner 
whisked  his  lash  aside  by  so  narrow  a  margin  that  the 
tip  of  one  of  the  thongs  left  a  crimson  weal  across 
her  white  forehead. 

"  God! "  cried  the  officer.  There  was  a  moment's 
breathless  pause.  Then  he  called  harshly,  "  Made 
moiselle,  stand  aside.  There  are  yet  three  strokes." 

"  Strike  if  you  dare ! "  she  cried.  "  I  am  here  to 
defend  him !  Strike  me !  " 

"  Mademoiselle,  I  would  not  force  you  away.  But 
if  I  send  for  Captain  Powers  —  " 

"  Send!  "  she  cried.  "  Poder  de  Dios!  This  gentle 
man  is  my  betrothed  husband!  " 

There  was  a  gleam  above  my  head,  and  the  blade 
of  a  little  dagger  slashed  through  the  lashings  which 
bound  my  wrists  to  the  mast.  I  attempted  to  turn, 
but  tottered,  and  my  knees  bent  and  doubled  beneath 
me.  I  should  have  fallen  headlong  had  she  not  eased 
me  to  the  deck  with  her  arm  across  my  naked,  sweaty, 
blood-streaked  breast. 

She  knelt  beside  me,  and  drew  my  head  against  her 
knee.  Then  all  again  became  black. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI 

ACROSS  THE  GULF 

THIS  time,  lacking  the  flood  of  sea- water,  my 
swoon  lasted  much  longer.  I  recovered  to  find 
myself  in  the  great  cabin,  lying  upon  a  luxurious  berth, 
close  to  a  stern  window.  Already  my  back  had  been 
covered  with  a  soothing,  cooling  balm  and  wrapped 
about  with  bandages.  I  sought  to  turn  upon  my 
side,  that  I  might  look  around.  At  once  gentle  hands 
lent  their  aid  to  my  support. 

"  He  revives !  "  exclaimed  my  lady. 

"  'T  was  best  to  dress  the  wound  before  applying 
restoratives,"  chirruped  Dr.  Cuthbert. 

But  now  I  was  fairly  on  my  side,  and  could  see 
the  dear  form  of  my  lady. 

"  Alisanda !  "  I  murmured. 

"  Juan!  "  she  responded,  kneeling  and  pressing  her 
lips  to  mine  regardless  of  the  doctor's  presence.  "  My 
Juan!  I  am  here,  my  beloved.  I  am  with  you! " 

I  caught  sight  of  the  weal  of  the  lash  across  her 
forehead,  and  I  quivered  with  fury. 

"That!"  I  muttered  —  "that  mark  upon  your 
forehead!  They  struck  you?" 

"No,  no!"  she  soothed.  "Lie  still,  beloved.  It 
was  only  an  accident.  It  does  not  hurt  me  —  nothing 


444  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

can  hurt  me,  Juan,  now  that  we  have  found  each 
other!" 

"Dearest  one!"  I  whispered. 

She  bent  close  above  me,  with  her  soft  round  arm 
about  my  neck,  —  and  quickly  all  my  pain  and  rage 
died  away  and  were  forgotten  under  the  glory  of  the 
golden  love-light  in  her  tender  eyes. 

Dr.  Cuthbert  coughed,  then  took  snuff.  At  that 
moment  we  would  not  have  heeded  a  cannon  roaring 
in  our  ears. 

At  last,  however,  Father  Rocus  entered,  followed 
closely  by  Captain  Powers.  Alisanda  quietly  rose  to 
face  them,  but  held  to  my  hand  as  a  mother  would 
clasp  the  hand  of  the  child  she  sought  to  defend.  The 
captain  stared  at  her  between  anger  and  admiration. 

"Mademoiselle  Vallois!"  he  rumbled.  "What 
does  all  this  mean?  How  dare  you  interfere  with  the 
discipline  of  my  ship  ?  " 

"  How  dare  you,  who  call  yourself  an  officer  and 
a  Christian,  torture  so  hideously  this  gentleman? " 
she  returned. 

"  Gentleman?  —  Torture?  "  he  echoed,  taken  aback. 

"  The  gentleman  I  am  betrothed  to  marry." 

"Marry!  — Him?" 

"  Santisima  Fir  gen!  yes!"  she  cried.  "And  you! 
—  you  have  lashed  him  like  a  slave !  —  the  truest,  most 
gallant  gentleman  in  Christendom!" 

He  muttered  something  about  the  mad  third  mate 
of  a  sloop.  To  this  Dr.  Cuthbert  made  hasty  re 
ply:  "All  a  mistake,  sir,  —  a  most  egregious  error. 


Across  the  Gulf  445 

Mr.  Robinson  is,  I  am  certain,  precisely  what  he 
claimed." 

"  Nevertheless,"  broke  in  the  captain,  his  voice  as 
hard  as  iron,  "  the  man  has  been  tried,  found  guilty, 
and  sentenced  to  one  hundred  lashes.  He  has  re 
ceived  ninety-seven.  There  are  still  three  strokes." 

"  I  will  bear  them  for  him!  "  said  Alisanda. 

"  Mademoiselle,  do  not  make  yourself  ridiculous," 
he  reproved. 

"  Better  that  than  your  cowardly  cruelty  in  seeking 
to  lash  to  death  a  citizen  of  the  Republic  which  re 
volted  from  your  brutal  rule!  "  she  thrust  back  at  him. 

He  stood  for  some  moments  gazing  into  her  scorn 
ful  eyes.  Despite  all  his  harshness  and  arrogance,  I 
believe  he  was  alike  pleased  with  her  spirit  and  soft 
ened  by  her  beauty. 

"  This  man  is  entered  in  my  crew  as  a  subject  of 
His  Majesty,"  he  at  last  stated,  in  a  tone  which  in 
vited  argument. 

"  He  is  not  a  Briton,"  she  replied.  "  I  know  he  is 
an  American.  I  met  and  travelled  with  him  in  his  own 
land.  I  saw,  on  the  bank  of  the  Ohio,  the  tomb  of  his 
mother,  who  was  slain  by  the  red  savages  in  the  pay 
of  your  Government.  He  was  a  volunteer  with  an 
expedition  under  Lieutenant  Pike  of  the  Army  of  the 
United  States.  They  crossed  the  western  deserts  of 
Louisiana  and  the  lofty  sierras  of  the  West,  and  came 
far  south  into  New  Spain." 

"Hold!"  exclaimed  the  captain.  "That  is  in 
credible." 


446  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

"  It  is  the  truth,"  confirmed  Father  Hocus. 

"  You  support  her  statement,  sir? "  demanded 
Powers. 

"  I  am  ready  to  swear  to  it,  on  my  sacred  word," 
replied  the  padre.  "  This  gentleman  upon  the  couch 
is  Dr.  John  H.  Robinson,  a  physician  of  the  Louis 
iana  Territory,  who  was  the  compagnon  du  voyage  of 
Lieutenant  Pike  in  the  amazing  journey  of  which 
Senorita  Vallois  has  spoken.  It  is  as  I  told  you  be 
fore  we  entered." 

Father  Hocus  spoke  with  no  less  force  than 
suavity. 

"  It  begins  to  look  as  though  a  mistake  had  been 
made,"  admitted  the  captain  with  obstinate  reluctance. 

"A  mistake,  sir,  which  has  come  near  to  costing 
Dr.  Robinson  his  life,"  ventured  Dr.  Cuthbert,  snuff 
box  in  hand. 

"  A  mistake  which  can  never  be  rectified,"  added 
Father  Rocus. 

The  stubborn  Briton  was  at  last  convinced.  "  I 
will  make  such  reparation  as  lies  within  my  power. 
Dr.  Robinson,  I  offer  you  my  apology  for  this  unfor 
tunate  mistake." 

I  closed  my  eyes  and  clung  tightly  to  Alisanda's 
hand,  that  I  might  not  fling  his  apology  back  in  his 
teeth.  I  heard  the  murmur  of  the  padre's  voice,  fol 
lowed  by  the  tread  of  feet  and  the  opening  and  clos 
ing  of  the  door.  Then  once  more  Alisanda's  arm  was 
about  my  neck  and  her  fragrant  lips  were  pressed 
upon  my  mouth. 


Across  the  Gulf  447 

"  Dearest,"  she  whispered,  "  they  have  gone.  I 
alone  am  here  now,  to  comfort  you." 

"You  are  here!"  I  repeated.  "Tell  me.  How 
did  you  come?  I  sailed  for  Vera  Cruz,  but  they  took 
me  by  force  from  the  sloop." 

I  paused,  as  suddenly  my  two  memories  brought 
together  the  sloop  Siren  and  the  sloop  which  had 
sunk  my  lady's  ship. 

"Lafitte!"  I  exclaimed. 

"Lafitte?"  she  asked,  bewildered. 

"  All 's  well  that  ends  well!  "  I  cried.  "  After  all, 
he  brought  us  together." 

"Who,  Juan?" 

"  Jean  Lafitte,  the  man  who  was  to  have  landed 
me  in  Vera  Cruz." 

"Ah,  Vera  Cruz  —  Santa  Maria!  that  terrible 
city !  People  were  dying  by  scores  of  the  yellow  fever. 
We  lingered  as  long  as  we  dared.  But  you  did  not 
come.  The  padre  said  you  could  not  have  read  my 
message  aright.  We  at  last  took  ship  for  West 
ern  Florida.  There  was  none  sailing  for  New 
Orleans." 

"You  were  coming  to  me!  But  the  veil  —  the 
nun's  veil? " 

"  It  is  gone  —  see!  "  She  put  her  free  hand  to  the 
silky  mass  of  her  dusky  hair.  "  God  forgive  me, 
Juan!  It  was  for  your  sake,  and  with  the  assent  of 
the  padre,  that  I  took  the  novitiate  vows." 

"  For  my  sake,  Alisanda?  " 

"That  I  might  come  to  you,  my  knight!     When 


448  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

you  left  me,  my  uncle  became  all  the  more  insistent 
that  I  should  marry  the  Governor- General.  The 
padre  had  already  planned  for  me  this  way  of  escape. 
I  took  the  vows  of  a  novice.  After  that  neither  my 
uncle  nor  Dona  Marguerite  dared  oppose  the  counsel 
of  the  padre  when  he  told  them  I  must  go  to  the  Con 
vent  of  my  Order  in  Vera  Cruz.  You  see  how  selfish 
a  love  is  mine.  I  could  not  give  you  up,  Juan.  I  was 
not  a  heroine,  to  give  myself  for  the  saving  of  an 
oppressed  people." 

"  No!  "  I  rejoined.  "  You  could  not  have  helped 
the  people  of  New  Spain.  They  must  fight  their 
own  battles.  No  people  are  worthy  of  freedom  who 
are  not  ready  to  give  their  lives  for  the  ending  of  tyr 
anny.  Had  you  sacrificed  yourself  to  Salcedo,  he 
would  either  have  betrayed  the  revolution,  or  he  would 
have  made  himself  a  dictator,  more  tyrannous  than 
before." 

"  You  told  me  that  in  Chihuahua,  dear.  I  re 
peated  your  words  to  the  padre,  and  he  confirmed  the 
statement.  It  was  well,  for  had  he  shared  my  uncle's 
faith  in  Don  Nimesio,  he  also  might  have  sought  to 
persuade  me  to  give  myself  to  the  cause  of  liberty." 

"  As  it  was,"  I  murmured,  "  you  attempted  to  come 
to  me  —  alone!" 

"  Not  alone,  Juan.  There  were  the  padre  and  my 
faithful  Chita." 

"  Ah,  Chita  —  I  did  not  see  her  in  the  boat." 

My  lady  began  to  weep.  "  Poor  Chita!  She  was 
killed  by  a  cannon-ball,  when  standing  beside  me,  dur- 


Across  the  Gulf  449 

ing  that  fearful  destruction  of  our  ship  by  the  pirate 
sloop." 

"Pirate!"  I  repeated.  "They  flew  the  black 
flag?" 

"  No;  but  it  was  a  flag  unknown  to  our  captain, 
and  he  said  they  must  be  pirates.  They  attacked  us 
without  warning  and  signalled  that  they  would  give 
us  no  quarter  —  and  they  killed  my  poor  Chita!" 

I  remembered  the  dreadful  vow  of  Captain  Lafitte, 
but  forgot  it  again  in  my  efforts  to  comfort  my  darling. 
I  drew  her  lovely  head  down  upon  my  shoulder  and 
stroked  her  silky  hair. 

In  the  midst  Father  Hocus  entered  and  came  over 
to  us,  rubbing  his  plump,  white  hands  together  with 
satisfaction. 

"  My  dear  children,"  he  said,  "  after  all  your  trials, 
you  have  at  last  won  the  happiness  you  deserve. 
Though  you,  my  son,  remain  a  heretic,  I  believe  that 
such  love  as  yours  is  sacred  in  the  sight  of  God.  My 
daughter,  come  now,  that  I  may  prepare  you  for  the 
sacrament  of  holy  wedlock." 

"Now?  —  so  soon?"  she  cried,  drawing  free  from 
me,  and  standing,  scarlet-cheeked,  her  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  deck,  and  her  sweet  bosom  rising  and  falling 
tremulously. 

"  He  is  bruised  and  torn  in  spirit  and  body.  You 
alone  can  soothe  him,"  said  the  padre. 

She  cast  at  me  a  glance  of  unutterable  tenderness, 
and  withdrew  into  the  adjoining  stateroom.  Father 
Hocus  paused  for  a  last  word  to  me:  "  My  son,  this 

29 


450  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

moment  should  be  as  solemn  to  you  as  it  is  joyful. 
Consider  the  great  goodness  of  God  in  giving  to  you 
a  wife  more  precious  than  rubies.  In  that  thought, 
remember  the  words  of  our  Blessed  Lord  Christ, 
6  Forgive  your  enemies.'' 

With  that  he  left  me,  and  I  lay  alone  in  my  burning 
pain,  wondering  if  it  were  possible  for  any  man  to 
forgive  so  bitter  a  shame  and  wrong  as  had  been  done 
to  me.  But  quickly  a  sort  of  ecstatic  awe  crept  over 
me  as  the  consciousness  of  my  marvellous  —  my  splen 
did  good  fortune  took  possession  of  my  mind.  It 
seemed  unbelievable,  and  yet  he  had  said  it.  My  dear 
lady  was  about  to  become  my  bride!  She  had  crossed 
the  gulf  to  me! 

In  the  bliss  of  that  thought,  all  my  pain  and  anguish 
of  body  and  mind  vanished,  and  the  bitterness  of 
shame,  the  fury  of  hate  dissolved  away.  I  could  not 
forgive  my  enemies,  but  the  memory  of  their  deeds 
was  blunted  and  smoothed  over  by  the  magic  of 
love. 

When  at  last  Captain  Powers  came  in  with  a  few 
others  to  witness  the  ceremony,  I  was  able  to  bring 
myself  to  the  point  of  accepting  the  apology  he  had 
tendered.  This  was  well,  for  otherwise  it  would  have 
been  difficult  to  endure  the  service  which,  as  captain 
of  the  ship,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  render  us  to 
assure  the  legality  of  our  marriage. 

Soon  Father  Hocus  led  in  my  dear  lady.  She  was 
no  longer  blushing,  but  calm  and  pale.  In  the  pres 
ence  of  the  men  who  had  condemned  me  to  death  and 


Across  the  Gulf  451 

to  a  disgrace  worse  than  death,  she  raised  her  head 
and  passed  by  them  with  the  hauteur  of  a  queen.  Yet 
once  at  my  side,  she  knelt  and  clasped  my  hand  with 
a  tender  devotion  that  fetched  more  than  one  envious 
sigh  from  the  breasts  of  the  younger  officers.  Never 
had  she  seemed  more  lovely,  more  adorable,  than  as 
she  waited  beside  me,  her  dark  eyes  upraised  and  glow 
ing  with  solemn  ecstasy. 

The  sonorous  voice  of  Father  Rocus  rang  in  my 
ears  like  the  sweet  harmonies  of  some  heavenly  choir. 
I  had  insisted  upon  lifting  myself  upon  my  elbow, 
and  when  the  padre  handed  me  the  ring,  I  made  shift 
to  slip  it  upon  the  finger  of  my  bride.  A  little  more, 
and  the  good  padre  raised  his  hands  above  us  and 
blessed  us  as  man  and  wife. 

With  that  the  officers  came  forward  and  expressed 
their  congratulations,  forgetting  their  British  stiffness 
and  reserve  in  their  heartiness.  At  such  a  moment 
I  could  have  thanked  Satan  himself  for  a  word  of 
good- will.  Yet  I  was  not  ill-pleased  when,  having  re 
ceived  my  responses,  they  bowed  themselves  out.  As 
the  last  of  their  number  closed  the  door  behind  him, 
Father  Rocus  drew  from  his  robe  a  rounded  pouch 
of  worn  leather,  and  held  it  out  to  me. 

"  What  is  this,  padre?  "  I  asked,  taking  the  heavy 
little  bag. 

He  nodded  gayly  to  Alisanda.  "  According  to  the 
Spanish,  and,  I  believe,  the  American  law,  you  are 
entitled  to  the  charge  of  this  property.  When  we 
left  Chihuahua,  Sefiorita  Vallois  intrusted  her  jewels 


452  A  Volunteer  with  Pike 

to  my  care.  I  now  deliver  them  into  the  hands  of 
her  husband." 

He  smiled  at  my  bewildered  look,  blessed  us  the 
second  time,  and  left  us  alone. 

"  Sweetheart,"  I  muttered,  "  I  did  not  know  —  " 

She  smiled  in  tender  mischief.  "  Was  it  not  a  happy 
surprise?  Before  my  father  died,  there  in  the  fogs 
of  England,  he  sold  all  his  Spanish  estates  and  bought 
jewels,  that  I  might  keep  possession  of  my  property. 
Such  being  his  will,  not  even  his  brother,  my  uncle, 
would  take  the  jewels  from  me." 

"  Nor  will  I,  Alisanda,"  I  said. 

"  You  will  share  them  equally  with  me,  dear  hus 
band;  for  we  are  now  one.  If  it  is  your  desire,  we 
will  purchase  an  estate  at  New  Orleans.  I  dread 
your  cold,  wet  North." 

"  Whatever  your  heart  desires,  dearest  one,  it  shall 
ever  be  the  object  of  my  life  to  obtain  it  for  you. 
Your  wish  shall  ever  be  my  law,  my  bride! " 

"  Juan,  my  husband!  "  she  murmured,  and  our  lips 
met  in  that  first  rapturous  kiss  of  man  and  wife. 

Two  days  later,  having  in  the  meantime  stood  off 
toward  the  Spanish  port  of  Mobile,  the  belligerent 
fell  in  with  a  Philadelphia  brig,  bound  for  New 
Orleans.  The  master  of  the  Quaker  vessel  readily 
bargained  to  take  us  as  passengers,  and  we  were  ac 
cordingly  put  aboard  the  Mary  Penn  by  Captain 
Powers,  after  we  had  taken  a  most  affectionate  fare 
well  of  Father  Hocus.  He  was  going  on  to  Mobile 
to  care  for  the  rescued  Spaniards,  of  whom,  all  being 


Across  the  Gulf  453 

persons  of  no  political  or  military  consequence,  the 
British  were  eager  to  rid  themselves. 

Except  between  ourselves  and  the  padre,  the  part 
ing  afforded  a  welcome  relief  to  all.  There  had  not 
alone  been  the  matter  of  personal  shame.  In  these 
years  of  national  humiliation,  it  would  be  difficult 
for  any  true  American  to  act  the  part  of  a  gracious 
guest  aboard  a  British  man-of-war. 

But  once  aboard  the  Mary  Penn,  there  was  noth 
ing  to  mar  the  perfect  joy  of  our  love.  After  a 
short  and  smooth  voyage,  the  brig  put  into  one  of  the 
many  mouths  of  the  Mississippi,  and,  ascending  in 
charge  of  a  pilot,  landed  us  at  New  Orleans,  the 
happiest  couple  in  all  the  wide  world. 


THE   END 


YC  763&0 


